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The differences between electronic test technicians and engineering technician leads can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both an electronic test technician and an engineering technician lead. Additionally, an engineering technician lead has an average salary of $107,373, 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 lead are java, python, and C++.
| Electronic Test Technician | Engineering Technician Lead | |
| Yearly salary | $43,020 | $107,373 |
| Hourly rate | $20.68 | $51.62 |
| Growth rate | - | - |
| Number of jobs | 49,129 | 102,504 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 60% | Bachelor's Degree, 56% |
| Average age | 50 | 50 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
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.
Engineering technician leads are technical professionals who lead a team to design and build prototypes of a planned product or equipment. These technician leads are required to provide advice and technical support to the engineering team to resolve technical issues as well as oversee system maintenance and enhancement. They must work with both product development and manufacturing engineers to improve the existing manufacturing processes. Engineering technician leads must also participate in activities related to maintenance and troubleshooting of equipment.
Electronic test technicians and engineering technician leads have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Electronic Test Technician | Engineering Technician Lead | |
| Average salary | $43,020 | $107,373 |
| Salary range | Between $32,000 And $57,000 | Between $80,000 And $142,000 |
| Highest paying City | Bethesda, MD | Palo Alto, CA |
| Highest paying state | Hawaii | California |
| Best paying company | Sandia National Labs | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Energy | Technology |
There are a few differences between an electronic test technician and an engineering technician lead in terms of educational background:
| Electronic Test Technician | Engineering Technician Lead | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 60% | Bachelor's Degree, 56% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Northeastern University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between electronic test technicians' and engineering technician leads' demographics:
| Electronic Test Technician | Engineering Technician Lead | |
| Average age | 50 | 50 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 91.0% Female, 9.0% | Male, 88.9% Female, 11.1% |
| 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, 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% |