Engineering technician vs quality control technician

The differences between engineering technicians and quality control 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 technician and a quality control technician. Additionally, an engineering technician has an average salary of $60,273, which is higher than the $40,337 average annual salary of a quality control technician.

The top three skills for an engineering technician include technical support, data collection and test equipment. The most important skills for a quality control technician are lab equipment, quality control tests, and test results.

Engineering technician vs quality control technician overview

	Engineering Technician	Quality Control Technician
Yearly salary	$60,273	$40,337
Hourly rate	$28.98	$19.39
Growth rate	3%	3%
Number of jobs	111,343	98,407
Job satisfaction	-	4
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 46%	Bachelor's Degree, 52%
Average age	45	45
Years of experience	4	4

What does an engineering technician do?

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.

What does a quality control technician do?

Usually assigned in a manufacturing plant, a quality control technician's role focuses on testing and assessing materials before, after, and during a production process to ensure its efficiency. They also have responsibilities in implementing the policies and regulations of the company, all to maintain a safe and productive working environment for every employee. Furthermore, a quality control technician must produce necessary reports and documentation, coordinate with managers and supervisors, maintain accurate documentation, and oversee a team to secure quality standard outcomes.

Engineering technician vs quality control technician salary

Engineering technicians and quality control technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Engineering Technician	Quality Control Technician
Average salary	$60,273	$40,337
Salary range	Between $37,000 And $96,000	Between $31,000 And $51,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	Baltimore, MD
Highest paying state	Washington	Rhode Island
Best paying company	Western Digital	Boehringer Ingelheim
Best paying industry	Technology	Health Care

Differences between engineering technician and quality control technician education

There are a few differences between an engineering technician and a quality control technician in terms of educational background:

	Engineering Technician	Quality Control Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 46%	Bachelor's Degree, 52%
Most common major	Electrical Engineering	Biology
Most common college	Purdue University	Stanford University

Engineering technician vs quality control technician demographics

Here are the differences between engineering technicians' and quality control technicians' demographics:

	Engineering Technician	Quality Control Technician
Average age	45	45
Gender ratio	Male, 85.9% Female, 14.1%	Male, 63.1% Female, 36.9%
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, 9.5% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.8% Asian, 8.1% White, 60.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between engineering technician and quality control technician duties and responsibilities

Engineering technician example responsibilities.

Used Microsoft SharePoint to manage projects, web base collaboration, alerts and for document management.
Achieve UL certification for thermal overload protection used in motor applications.
Manage equipment database and organize annual equipment calibration require by internal quality control and ISO standards.
Manage and distribute cad standards to contributing design consultants and assist with any design issues as necessary.
Maintain engineering lab equipment: troubleshoot and repair any faulty electronic or mechanical malfunctions, and calibrate test equipment.
Specialize in software and hardware engineering to military standards and project management of DoD contracts.

Quality control technician example responsibilities.

Direct and manage the release of FDA regulate and monitor bacterial cultures and vitamin additives for product development.
Aid in development and maintenance of SPC program achieving product performance stability and creating a platform for continuous improvement.
Work with personnel to ensure all food safety programs such as HACCP, SSOP, and GMP's, are follow.
Work on the structure of on-line supply info system base on HMI, PLC and SQL.
Calculate requirements, using basic math, geometry and trigonometry.
Use furnaces, band saws, blasters, torches, acids, and micrometers.

Engineering technician vs quality control technician skills

Common engineering technician skills

Technical Support, 5%
Data Collection, 4%
Test Equipment, 4%
Asphalt, 4%
Construction Projects, 4%
Construction Materials, 4%

Common quality control technician skills

Lab Equipment, 7%
Quality Control Tests, 6%
Test Results, 6%
Asphalt, 5%
Quality Products, 4%
Quality Standards, 4%

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Engineering Technician vs Quality Control Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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