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The differences between engineering assistants and manufacturing 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 a manufacturing engineering technician. Additionally, an engineering assistant has an average salary of $64,402, which is higher than the $53,219 average annual salary of a manufacturing engineering technician.
The top three skills for an engineering assistant include troubleshoot, C++ and worksheets. The most important skills for a manufacturing engineering technician are continuous improvement, troubleshoot, and production equipment.
| Engineering Assistant | Manufacturing Engineering Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $64,402 | $53,219 |
| Hourly rate | $30.96 | $25.59 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 53,767 | 99,347 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 56% | Associate Degree, 43% |
| 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.
A manufacturing engineering technician is responsible for supporting the manufacturing processes of industrial operations by providing technical assistance on the design development procedures. Manufacturing engineering technicians inspect the efficiency and consistency of plans and perform multiple diagnostic tests to ensure that the product performs to its highest condition. They also recommend cost-reduction techniques while providing high-quality outputs and deliverables. A manufacturing engineering technician must have excellent communication and technical skills, especially on troubleshooting equipment and writing progress reports for reference.
Engineering assistants and manufacturing engineering technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Engineering Assistant | Manufacturing Engineering Technician | |
| Average salary | $64,402 | $53,219 |
| Salary range | Between $41,000 And $99,000 | Between $37,000 And $75,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Sunnyvale, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Idaho |
| Best paying company | Lam Research | |
| Best paying industry | Energy | Finance |
There are a few differences between an engineering assistant and a manufacturing engineering technician in terms of educational background:
| Engineering Assistant | Manufacturing Engineering Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 56% | Associate Degree, 43% |
| Most common major | Business | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Purdue University |
Here are the differences between engineering assistants' and manufacturing engineering technicians' demographics:
| Engineering Assistant | Manufacturing Engineering Technician | |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 68.8% Female, 31.2% | Male, 89.1% Female, 10.9% |
| 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, 8.8% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.8% Asian, 8.3% White, 60.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |