Environmental sampling technician vs surveillance technician

The differences between environmental sampling technicians and surveillance technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both an environmental sampling technician and a surveillance technician. Additionally, a surveillance technician has an average salary of $41,279, which is higher than the $33,940 average annual salary of an environmental sampling technician.

The top three skills for an environmental sampling technician include data entry, lims and process samples. The most important skills for a surveillance technician are ladders, CCTV, and construction sites.

Environmental sampling technician vs surveillance technician overview

	Environmental Sampling Technician	Surveillance Technician
Yearly salary	$33,940	$41,279
Hourly rate	$16.32	$19.85
Growth rate	9%	9%
Number of jobs	25,081	13,099
Job satisfaction	-	1
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 73%	Bachelor's Degree, 44%
Average age	38	38
Years of experience	2	2

Environmental sampling technician vs surveillance technician salary

Environmental sampling technicians and surveillance technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Environmental Sampling Technician	Surveillance Technician
Average salary	$33,940	$41,279
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $43,000	Between $30,000 And $55,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between environmental sampling technician and surveillance technician education

There are a few differences between an environmental sampling technician and a surveillance technician in terms of educational background:

	Environmental Sampling Technician	Surveillance Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 73%	Bachelor's Degree, 44%
Most common major	Biology	Business
Most common college	University of California, Berkeley	Stanford University

Environmental sampling technician vs surveillance technician demographics

Here are the differences between environmental sampling technicians' and surveillance technicians' demographics:

	Environmental Sampling Technician	Surveillance Technician
Average age	38	38
Gender ratio	Male, 65.4% Female, 34.6%	Male, 81.7% Female, 18.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.5% Unknown, 6.2% Hispanic or Latino, 16.8% Asian, 10.4% White, 56.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%	Black or African American, 9.6% Unknown, 6.2% Hispanic or Latino, 17.0% Asian, 10.4% White, 55.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%
LGBT Percentage	8%	8%

Differences between environmental sampling technician and surveillance technician duties and responsibilities

Environmental sampling technician example responsibilities.

Manage daily RCRA inspections and mechanical, electrical, and electronic equipment preventive/corrective maintenance procedures.
Verify manufacturing areas before an audit of FDA / ISO.
Mitigate release of hazardous waste to environment using proper equipment and PPE.
Apply 40 CFR guidelines to ensure compliance of hazardous waste treatment and storage.
Work with customers to solve EMC problems to pass FCC and EU standards.
Enter sample tests from COC into system.

Surveillance technician example responsibilities.

Manage implementation and networking of multi-million dollar tactical datalink architecture consisting of windows base and proprietary systems.
Manage numerous outdoor storage locations for government ammunition stockpiles while simultaneously providing rapid logistical support to facilitate employee training.
Switch over to digital recording which involve IP addressing cameras, video encoders, hard drive arrays, and Cisco switches.
Maintain hardware and software systems and manual records require to successfully perform stock control accounting procedures for ammunition and explosives.
Maintain physical control over all entrances to the SCIF.
Use of DoD equipment and technologies for surveillance monitoring.

Environmental sampling technician vs surveillance technician skills

Common environmental sampling technician skills

Data Entry, 23%
Lims, 21%
Process Samples, 16%
Sample Collection, 6%
Test Code, 6%
DOT, 5%

Common surveillance technician skills

Ladders, 10%
CCTV, 8%
Construction Sites, 7%
Surveillance Equipment, 7%
CST, 6%
Security Integrity, 5%

Environmental Sampling Technician vs. similar jobs

Environmental Sampling Technician related careers

Environmental Sampling Technician related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Life, Physical, and Social Science Industry
Environmental Sampling Technician
Environmental Sampling Technician vs Surveillance Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse life, physical, and social science jobs