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What is a field maintenance technician and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

A Field Maintenance Technician helps clients install, repair, and maintain equipment. You will troubleshoot the equipment, advise your customer how to use the equipment, and follow company processes. You may also have the duty of training the plant's maintenance team on how to perform equipment maintenance.

As a Field Service Technician, you will provide customer assistance on field sites as per the requirements of the customers. You will perform a diagnosis for the networks and problems of technical issues. You will find ways to fix the problems of technical and electronic equipment. You will also need to upgrade equipment, including software, hardware, and data telecommunication network equipment. You may also work in a central office, outside in a plant, or on cell towers. You will be responsible for the configuration repair and precautionary upkeep of hardware.

To become a Field Maintenance Technician, you need a bachelor's degree in computer science, IT, networking technologies, or a related field. You will also need a certification. You need customer service and communication skills and the ability to diagnose and solve problems. This position will always be in demand, and you can make an annual median salary of $50,000.

ScoreField Maintenance TechnicianUS Average
Salary
2.9

Avg. Salary $37,403

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level
7.6

Growth rate 5%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity
5.9
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.17%

Asian 4.52%

Black or African American 10.86%

Hispanic or Latino 19.01%

Unknown 4.25%

White 60.20%

Gender

female 8.18%

male 91.82%

Age - 49
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 49
Stress level
7.6

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level
6.3

Complexity level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work life balance
6.1

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Field maintenance technician career paths

Key steps to become a field maintenance technician

  1. Explore field maintenance technician education requirements

    Most common field maintenance technician degrees

    Bachelor's

    32.1 %

    High School Diploma

    30.1 %

    Associate

    24.4 %
  2. Start to develop specific field maintenance technician skills

    SkillsPercentages
    Field Maintenance14.53%
    Customer Service9.52%
    Plumbing7.09%
    Preventative Maintenance5.84%
    OSHA5.60%
  3. Complete relevant field maintenance technician training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New field maintenance technicians learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a field maintenance technician based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real field maintenance technician resumes.
  4. Research field maintenance technician duties and responsibilities

    • Manage proper storage of equipment, compliance with ANSI, NEC standard and assure OSHA safety regulations.
    • Repair and install anything HVAC and plumbing relate
    • Service and charge HVAC systems.
    • Perform electrical repairs such as replacing switches, ballast and wiring.
  5. Prepare your field maintenance technician resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your field maintenance technician resume.

    You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a field maintenance technician resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

    Choose from 10+ customizable field maintenance technician resume templates

    Build a professional field maintenance technician resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your field maintenance technician resume.
    Field Maintenance Technician Resume
    Field Maintenance Technician Resume
    Field Maintenance Technician Resume
    Field Maintenance Technician Resume
    Field Maintenance Technician Resume
    Field Maintenance Technician Resume
    Field Maintenance Technician Resume
    Field Maintenance Technician Resume
    Field Maintenance Technician Resume
  6. Apply for field maintenance technician jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a field maintenance technician job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How did you land your first field maintenance technician job

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Average field maintenance technician salary

The average field maintenance technician salary in the United States is $37,403 per year or $18 per hour. Field maintenance technician salaries range between $25,000 and $54,000 per year.

Average field maintenance technician salary
$37,403 Yearly
$17.98 hourly

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How do field maintenance technicians rate their job?

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Field maintenance technician reviews

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A zippia user wrote a review on Apr 2020
Pros

Flexibility

Cons

I have more to offer than n various task. My resume spells out my duties.


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A zippia user wrote a review on Feb 2020
Pros

Challenging, technical, always something new, part of a team.

Cons

The hours, the low pay, high expectations to perform and exceed, expectation to always be on call, low budget for repairs.


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A zippia user wrote a review on Oct 2019
Pros

I like the technicality, reasoning and the calculative nature of the job

Cons

I can't really say, because I love been maintenance technician


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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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