Electronic test technician vs engineering technician

The differences between electronic test technicians and engineering technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-12 months to become an electronic test technician, becoming an engineering technician takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, an engineering technician has an average salary of $60,273, which is higher than the $43,020 average annual salary of an electronic test technician.

The top three skills for an electronic test technician include RF, oscilloscopes and test procedures. The most important skills for an engineering technician are technical support, data collection, and test equipment.

Electronic test technician vs engineering technician overview

	Electronic Test Technician	Engineering Technician
Yearly salary	$43,020	$60,273
Hourly rate	$20.68	$28.98
Growth rate	-	3%
Number of jobs	49,129	111,343
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 60%	Bachelor's Degree, 46%
Average age	50	45
Years of experience	12	4

What does an electronic test technician do?

An Electronics Test Technician is responsible for testing and troubleshooting electronic equipment, components, and parts. As an Electronics Test Technician, you will investigate issues related to process control, SCADA systems, and instrumentation and suggest effective solutions. You will be responsible for analyzing and repairing broken printed circuit boards (PCB) and creating documentation for the testing of PCB assemblies. Other duties include compiling product reports and presenting these to the company heads, ensuring to maintain testing equipment, and performing multipoint safety inspections of products.

What does an engineering technician do?

An Engineering Technician's duties vary according to the industry or company, whether mechanical, industrial, civil, agricultural, or more. However, most of the time, the responsibilities often revolve around resolving technical issues, working with and assisting Engineers in building, assembling, designing, gathering and testing data, and conducting more manual activities. Furthermore, Engineering Technicians can specialize and work in various fields after a certain training period, closely mentored or monitored by an engineer or someone with extensive expertise.

Electronic test technician vs engineering technician salary

Electronic test technicians and engineering technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Electronic Test Technician	Engineering Technician
Average salary	$43,020	$60,273
Salary range	Between $32,000 And $57,000	Between $37,000 And $96,000
Highest paying City	Bethesda, MD	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	Hawaii	Washington
Best paying company	Sandia National Labs	Western Digital
Best paying industry	Energy	Technology

Differences between electronic test technician and engineering technician education

There are a few differences between an electronic test technician and an engineering technician in terms of educational background:

	Electronic Test Technician	Engineering Technician
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 60%	Bachelor's Degree, 46%
Most common major	Electrical Engineering	Electrical Engineering
Most common college	Northeastern University	Purdue University

Electronic test technician vs engineering technician demographics

Here are the differences between electronic test technicians' and engineering technicians' demographics:

	Electronic Test Technician	Engineering Technician
Average age	50	45
Gender ratio	Male, 91.0% Female, 9.0%	Male, 85.9% Female, 14.1%
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, 9.5% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.7% Asian, 9.2% White, 59.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	8%	6%

Differences between electronic test technician and engineering technician duties and responsibilities

Electronic test technician example responsibilities.

Manage work load for new equipment builds for PC refresh for end of lease equipment and new user setups.
Key interface for, DOD, NASA, FDA, IPC, and ISO inspections.
Perform software and hardware debugging.
Follow ESD procedures and written safety rules.
Test and troubleshoot complex wire harnesses and panel assemblies.
Test products to adhere to ISO 9000 and FDA regulations.

Engineering technician example responsibilities.

Used Microsoft SharePoint to manage projects, web base collaboration, alerts and for document management.
Achieve UL certification for thermal overload protection used in motor applications.
Manage equipment database and organize annual equipment calibration require by internal quality control and ISO standards.
Manage and distribute cad standards to contributing design consultants and assist with any design issues as necessary.
Maintain engineering lab equipment: troubleshoot and repair any faulty electronic or mechanical malfunctions, and calibrate test equipment.
Specialize in software and hardware engineering to military standards and project management of DoD contracts.

Electronic test technician vs engineering technician skills

Common electronic test technician skills

RF, 9%
Oscilloscopes, 8%
Test Procedures, 7%
Test Data, 6%
Hand Tools, 6%
Test Results, 4%

Common engineering technician skills

Technical Support, 5%
Data Collection, 4%
Test Equipment, 4%
Asphalt, 4%
Construction Projects, 4%
Construction Materials, 4%

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Electronic Test Technician vs Engineering Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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