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The differences between engineering technicians and field service technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become an engineering technician, becoming a field service technician takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, an engineering technician has an average salary of $60,273, which is higher than the $54,339 average annual salary of a field service technician.
The top three skills for an engineering technician include technical support, data collection and test equipment. The most important skills for a field service technician are customer service, preventative maintenance, and customer satisfaction.
| Engineering Technician | Field Service Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $60,273 | $54,339 |
| Hourly rate | $28.98 | $26.12 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 111,343 | 167,298 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 46% | Associate Degree, 40% |
| Average age | 45 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 12 |
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.
Field service technicians are skilled professionals who manage the technical needs of their clients outside the company's physical office space. They are usually on the field to visit their clients and check up on clients' equipment. Field service technicians are dispatched to provide technical support. They oversee installations, repairs, or maintenance activities. They ensure that all the work needed is done well. They also conduct diagnostic activities and troubleshooting. Field service technicians also supervise any updating or changes needed to be done in their clients' offices. They are expected to have good analytical skills, communication skills, and highly technical skills.
Engineering technicians and field service technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Engineering Technician | Field Service Technician | |
| Average salary | $60,273 | $54,339 |
| Salary range | Between $37,000 And $96,000 | Between $35,000 And $82,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | California |
| Best paying company | Western Digital | |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Finance |
There are a few differences between an engineering technician and a field service technician in terms of educational background:
| Engineering Technician | Field Service Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 46% | Associate Degree, 40% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Purdue University | - |
Here are the differences between engineering technicians' and field service technicians' demographics:
| Engineering Technician | Field Service Technician | |
| Average age | 45 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 85.9% Female, 14.1% | Male, 92.3% Female, 7.7% |
| Race ratio | 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% | Black or African American, 4.8% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 16.8% Asian, 1.7% White, 72.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 1% |