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The differences between electrical specialists and electrical controls technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 8-10 years to become both an electrical specialist and an electrical controls technician. Additionally, an electrical specialist has an average salary of $75,131, which is higher than the $61,087 average annual salary of an electrical controls technician.
The top three skills for an electrical specialist include electrical equipment, PLC and electrical systems. The most important skills for an electrical controls technician are PLC, allen-bradley, and electrical equipment.
| Electrical Specialist | Electrical Controls Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $75,131 | $61,087 |
| Hourly rate | $36.12 | $29.37 |
| Growth rate | - | - |
| Number of jobs | 25,948 | 42,521 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 36% | Associate Degree, 59% |
| Average age | 50 | 50 |
| Years of experience | 10 | 10 |
Electrical specialists use tools and construction documents to install spaces and pathways for installing low voltage wiring. They test, terminate, and install fiber optic and wire cables using special tools and procedures. Besides maintaining, troubleshooting, testing, and installing cable systems using special tools and construction documents, electrical specialists also use construction documents and unique blueprints to install data systems. Also, they install voice systems, video systems, sound distribution systems, and communication systems. Moreover, electrical specialists perform other assigned building maintenance tasks.
Electrical control technicians usually assist with running equipment such as those in amusement parks and carnivals. They can also repair equipment and are responsible for maintaining robotic machinery used by factories and plants for continuity of work and production. They can also install electrical wirings, troubleshoot minor glitches, and maintain good machine performance. With enough skills, they can shut down faulty wiring without interrupting other operations. They keep records of previous malfunctions and advise on the replacement of equipment.
Electrical specialists and electrical controls technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Electrical Specialist | Electrical Controls Technician | |
| Average salary | $75,131 | $61,087 |
| Salary range | Between $54,000 And $104,000 | Between $45,000 And $81,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Fremont, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Occidental Petroleum | Bunge |
| Best paying industry | Retail | Technology |
There are a few differences between an electrical specialist and an electrical controls technician in terms of educational background:
| Electrical Specialist | Electrical Controls Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 36% | Associate Degree, 59% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Northeastern University |
Here are the differences between electrical specialists' and electrical controls technicians' demographics:
| Electrical Specialist | Electrical Controls Technician | |
| Average age | 50 | 50 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 91.2% Female, 8.8% | Male, 96.4% Female, 3.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.3% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 10.4% Asian, 8.0% White, 70.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | Black or African American, 6.3% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 10.4% Asian, 8.0% White, 70.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |