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The differences between electronics 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 electronics 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 $46,660 average annual salary of an electronics technician.
The top three skills for an electronics technician include hand tools, RF and ladders. The most important skills for an engineering technician are technical support, data collection, and test equipment.
| Electronics Technician | Engineering Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $46,660 | $60,273 |
| Hourly rate | $22.43 | $28.98 |
| Growth rate | - | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 83,284 | 111,343 |
| Job satisfaction | 4.5 | - |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 52% | Bachelor's Degree, 46% |
| Average age | 50 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 4 |
An electronics technician is responsible for the maintenance of the technology and electrical equipment to ensure its performance with the highest quality standards. Electronics technicians' duties include troubleshooting, replacing malfunction equipment components, upgrading technology and software systems, operating machines, diagnosing defects, analyzing blueprints, conducting system installations, and creating reports for technological procedures. An electronics technician must have excellent attention to detail and decision-making skills, as well as the ability to multi-task in performing tasks accurately and efficiently to deliver the best services to clients.
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.
Electronics technicians and engineering technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Electronics Technician | Engineering Technician | |
| Average salary | $46,660 | $60,273 |
| Salary range | Between $32,000 And $66,000 | Between $37,000 And $96,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Montana | Washington |
| Best paying company | Jacobs Engineering Group | Western Digital |
| Best paying industry | Energy | Technology |
There are a few differences between an electronics technician and an engineering technician in terms of educational background:
| Electronics Technician | Engineering Technician | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 52% | Bachelor's Degree, 46% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Northeastern University | Purdue University |
Here are the differences between electronics technicians' and engineering technicians' demographics:
| Electronics Technician | Engineering Technician | |
| Average age | 50 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 91.4% Female, 8.6% | 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% |