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The differences between environmental field technicians and environmental specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become an environmental field technician, becoming an environmental specialist takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, an environmental specialist has an average salary of $54,482, which is higher than the $38,450 average annual salary of an environmental field technician.
The top three skills for an environmental field technician include OSHA, data collection and HAZWOPER. The most important skills for an environmental specialist are hazardous waste, environmental compliance, and hazardous materials.
| Environmental Field Technician | Environmental Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $38,450 | $54,482 |
| Hourly rate | $18.49 | $26.19 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 76,665 | 18,074 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Average age | 38 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 6 |
An environmental field technician, often known as an environmental science and protection technician, is an individual who conducts tests on the environment and determines the impact of a potential source of pollutants. Environmental field technicians investigate pollution sources by performing testing of groundwater samples in the field. They must ensure that proper safety procedures and equipment are utilized as well as implement on-site safety procedures to individual company specifications. Environmental field technicians must also coordinate with construction management to ensure that they are following the comprehensive environmental compliance throughout the phases of construction.
Environmental specialists are experts in natural science who are responsible for monitoring the environmental impact of a population, identifying environmental problems, and recommending measures to solve these issues. These scientists perform various duties and responsibilities that include overseeing field examinations and reporting hazard materials and locations, evaluating environmental health concerns, and investigating preparing reports related to environmental issues. Environmental specialists are also responsible for consulting with agencies or clients about an issue or situation and working with other companies to reduce pollution and waste.
Environmental field technicians and environmental specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Environmental Field Technician | Environmental Specialist | |
| Average salary | $38,450 | $54,482 |
| Salary range | Between $30,000 And $48,000 | Between $36,000 And $80,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | - | California |
| Best paying company | - | Texas Instruments |
| Best paying industry | - | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between an environmental field technician and an environmental specialist in terms of educational background:
| Environmental Field Technician | Environmental Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Most common major | Environmental Science | Environmental Science |
| Most common college | Duke University | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill |
Here are the differences between environmental field technicians' and environmental specialists' demographics:
| Environmental Field Technician | Environmental Specialist | |
| Average age | 38 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 85.5% Female, 14.5% | Male, 62.6% Female, 37.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.4% Unknown, 5.7% Hispanic or Latino, 16.6% Asian, 10.5% White, 56.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0% | Black or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 6.2% Asian, 5.0% White, 81.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 16% |