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The differences between engineering assistants and engineering technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both an engineering assistant and an engineering technician. Additionally, an engineering assistant has an average salary of $64,402, which is higher than the $60,273 average annual salary of an engineering technician.
The top three skills for an engineering assistant include troubleshoot, C++ and worksheets. The most important skills for an engineering technician are technical support, data collection, and test equipment.
| Engineering Assistant | Engineering Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $64,402 | $60,273 |
| Hourly rate | $30.96 | $28.98 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 53,767 | 111,343 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 56% | Bachelor's Degree, 46% |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
An engineering assistant is responsible for supporting the engineering department's operations under the supervision of a head engineer. Engineering assistants help with operating tools and equipment, developing and analyzing designs, communicating with clients by responding to their inquiries and concerns, creating project plans, and identifying business opportunities to generate revenues and increase profitability. An engineering assistant must have excellent knowledge of the engineering disciplines and processes to carry out tasks within strict deadlines and under minimal supervision.
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.
Engineering assistants and engineering technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Engineering Assistant | Engineering Technician | |
| Average salary | $64,402 | $60,273 |
| Salary range | Between $41,000 And $99,000 | Between $37,000 And $96,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Washington |
| Best paying company | Western Digital | |
| Best paying industry | Energy | Technology |
There are a few differences between an engineering assistant and an engineering technician in terms of educational background:
| Engineering Assistant | Engineering Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 56% | Bachelor's Degree, 46% |
| Most common major | Business | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Purdue University |
Here are the differences between engineering assistants' and engineering technicians' demographics:
| Engineering Assistant | Engineering Technician | |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 68.8% Female, 31.2% | Male, 85.9% Female, 14.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.9% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 15.7% Asian, 11.2% White, 58.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | 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 | 6% | 6% |