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The differences between engineering specialist technicians and specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-12 months to become an engineering specialist technician, becoming a specialist takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, an engineering specialist technician has an average salary of $89,631, which is higher than the $58,013 average annual salary of a specialist.
The top three skills for an engineering specialist technician include troubleshoot, project management and powerpoint. The most important skills for a specialist are patients, customer service, and work ethic.
| Engineering Specialist Technician | Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $89,631 | $58,013 |
| Hourly rate | $43.09 | $27.89 |
| Growth rate | - | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 74,148 | 358,433 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 55% | Bachelor's Degree, 49% |
| Average age | 50 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 2 |
Engineering specialist technicians draw up equipment and product blueprints and plans. They design and build planned equipment/product prototypes and analyze product/system performance. Besides creating daily laboratory activity reports and ordering and replacing equipment parts, engineering specialist technicians also help software design and write computer programs. These professionals address and resolve product glitches and problems and conduct regular product/equipment maintenance. Moreover, engineering specialist technicians inspect product designs for issues/problems and suggest the right ways to enhance products/equipment.
Specialists are employees who are responsible for specific tasks or activities in the department they are assigned to. The actions or tasks they work on are related to their educational background or work experiences. They are usually highly skilled in specializations related to the work they are assigned to. Specialists are also highly trained on the competencies that are required of their specialty. As such, they are focused on the skills and competencies that are needed to enhance their experience in their specific field further.
Engineering specialist technicians and specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Engineering Specialist Technician | Specialist | |
| Average salary | $89,631 | $58,013 |
| Salary range | Between $64,000 And $124,000 | Between $32,000 And $104,000 |
| Highest paying City | Newark, CA | Jersey City, NJ |
| Highest paying state | California | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Finnegan Henderson Farabow Garrett & Dunner | The Citadel |
| Best paying industry | Technology | - |
There are a few differences between an engineering specialist technician and a specialist in terms of educational background:
| Engineering Specialist Technician | Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 55% | Bachelor's Degree, 49% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between engineering specialist technicians' and specialists' demographics:
| Engineering Specialist Technician | Specialist | |
| Average age | 50 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 83.7% Female, 16.3% | Male, 47.5% Female, 52.5% |
| 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, 11.4% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.4% Asian, 10.5% White, 55.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 11% |