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The differences between fiber technologists and data technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a fiber technologist has an average salary of $51,824, which is higher than the $41,834 average annual salary of a data technician.
The top three skills for a fiber technologist include OTDR, OSP and fiber optic cables. The most important skills for a data technician are data entry, java, and data management.
| Fiber Technologist | Data Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $51,824 | $41,834 |
| Hourly rate | $24.92 | $20.11 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 7% |
| Number of jobs | 128,496 | 101,074 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 41% | Bachelor's Degree, 45% |
| Average age | 45 | 38 |
| Years of experience | - | 12 |
Fiber Technologists are responsible for the installation, repair, and maintenance of fiber optic cables. Their duties include organizing maintenance schedules, conducting fiber optic system installation, replacing old fiber optics cables, troubleshoot fiber optic issues, and manage fiber splicing. They are responsible for undertaking fiber optic inspection, creating sensor indicators, fulfilling cable requirements, and implementing cabling for premises. Fiber Technologists also manage system records as well as track devices' signal strengths.
A data technician is responsible for handling the company's data management systems and ensuring the safety and security of the stored information. Data technicians write data reports, retrieve necessary information, and dispose of outdated data properly according to the company's guidelines. They also create incident reports and identify data storage solutions to prevent unauthorized access and malicious leak of confidential information. A data technician must have excellent organizational and technical skills, especially in strategizing techniques, to enhance the stability and optimization of data servers.
Fiber technologists and data technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Fiber Technologist | Data Technician | |
| Average salary | $51,824 | $41,834 |
| Salary range | Between $36,000 And $74,000 | Between $25,000 And $68,000 |
| Highest paying City | Rocklin, CA | Santa Clara, CA |
| Highest paying state | Virginia | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | Citi |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Energy |
There are a few differences between a fiber technologist and a data technician in terms of educational background:
| Fiber Technologist | Data Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 41% | Bachelor's Degree, 45% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Business |
| Most common college | - | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between fiber technologists' and data technicians' demographics:
| Fiber Technologist | Data Technician | |
| Average age | 45 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 89.9% Female, 10.1% | Male, 61.2% Female, 38.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.6% Unknown, 6.4% Hispanic or Latino, 18.2% Asian, 4.0% White, 60.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% | Black or African American, 9.6% Unknown, 5.7% Hispanic or Latino, 16.9% Asian, 10.5% White, 56.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 8% |