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Field installation technician vs field technician engineer

The differences between field installation technicians and field technician engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a field installation technician and a field technician engineer. Additionally, a field technician engineer has an average salary of $50,370, which is higher than the $40,685 average annual salary of a field installation technician.

The top three skills for a field installation technician include customer service, customer satisfaction and ladders. The most important skills for a field technician engineer are preventive maintenance, technical support, and RF.

Field installation technician vs field technician engineer overview

Field Installation TechnicianField Technician Engineer
Yearly salary$40,685$50,370
Hourly rate$19.56$24.22
Growth rate9%9%
Number of jobs92,92273,704
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeAssociate Degree, 37%Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Average age3838
Years of experience22

What does a field installation technician do?

A field installation technician specializes in installing and maintaining equipment and machinery in various areas. Their responsibilities typically include communicating with clients to identify their needs and preferences, understanding blueprints and schematics, diagnosing and troubleshooting issues, maintaining records, and performing repairs when necessary. They may also provide operational advice to clients, perform maintenance checks, and produce progress reports for managers. Moreover, a field installation technician provides technical support, all while adhering to the company's policies and regulations.

What does a field technician engineer do?

Field service technicians or engineers are engineering professionals who are dispatched to specific locations to perform several tasks such as maintenance, service repairs, and installing electrical and engineering equipment products. These engineers are required to effectively communicate with their customers about their concerns related to equipment maintenance and repair so that they address them immediately. They must travel to customer sites to conduct survey and document existing field conditions and installation accuracy. Field service engineers must also conduct training for service technicians and operators at dealer and customer locations.

Field installation technician vs field technician engineer salary

Field installation technicians and field technician engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Field Installation TechnicianField Technician Engineer
Average salary$40,685$50,370
Salary rangeBetween $30,000 And $53,000Between $33,000 And $76,000
Highest paying City-Los Angeles, CA
Highest paying state-California
Best paying company-Medtronic
Best paying industry-Energy

Differences between field installation technician and field technician engineer education

There are a few differences between a field installation technician and a field technician engineer in terms of educational background:

Field Installation TechnicianField Technician Engineer
Most common degreeAssociate Degree, 37%Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Most common majorElectrical EngineeringElectrical Engineering
Most common collegeNortheastern UniversityNortheastern University

Field installation technician vs field technician engineer demographics

Here are the differences between field installation technicians' and field technician engineers' demographics:

Field Installation TechnicianField Technician Engineer
Average age3838
Gender ratioMale, 95.9% Female, 4.1%Male, 92.3% Female, 7.7%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 9.4% Unknown, 5.7% Hispanic or Latino, 16.6% Asian, 10.5% White, 56.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%Black or African American, 9.7% Unknown, 6.0% Hispanic or Latino, 17.1% Asian, 10.4% White, 55.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%
LGBT Percentage8%8%

Differences between field installation technician and field technician engineer duties and responsibilities

Field installation technician example responsibilities.

  • Install, manage, and troubleshoot CAT3, CAT5, CAT6, and fiber optic infrastructures throughout the greater Tulsa area.
  • Connect Cisco routers, switches, rack mount, and T1 connection.
  • Configure and support a variety of switches and routers including Cisco 2600 and 1700 routers.
  • Used various types of electrical and hand tools, meters, ladders, harnesses and other miscellaneous equipment.
  • Utilize GPS software to initialize the cell site.
  • Install and repair HVAC systems, as well as maintaining them.
  • Show more

Field technician engineer example responsibilities.

  • Train other LAN administrators which intern enable them to grow and achieve their goals.
  • Accomplish expert with Nortel TDM/CDMA/EVDO wireless telephony networking systems.
  • Complete LTE and TCP/IP training.
  • Complete site surveys to troubleshoot and design corrective RF and RF/fiber optic installations for existing systems with inadequate coverage.
  • Repair of PC's, laptops, LaserJet and dot matrix printers that return to the depot (warranty repair).
  • Perform solo surveys using GPS equipment.
  • Show more

Field installation technician vs field technician engineer skills

Common field installation technician skills
  • Customer Service, 19%
  • Customer Satisfaction, 11%
  • Ladders, 8%
  • RF, 7%
  • PC, 6%
  • Hand Tools, 5%
Common field technician engineer skills
  • Preventive Maintenance, 6%
  • Technical Support, 6%
  • RF, 5%
  • Customer Satisfaction, 5%
  • Test Equipment, 4%
  • Switches, 4%

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