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The differences between field service technicians and maintenance technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-12 months to become a field service technician, becoming a maintenance technician takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a field service technician has an average salary of $54,339, which is higher than the $43,293 average annual salary of a maintenance technician.
The top three skills for a field service technician include customer service, preventative maintenance and customer satisfaction. The most important skills for a maintenance technician are plumbing, HVAC, and hand tools.
| Field Service Technician | Maintenance Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $54,339 | $43,293 |
| Hourly rate | $26.12 | $20.81 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 167,298 | 178,450 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4.25 |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 40% | High School Diploma, 34% |
| Average age | 44 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 4 |
Field service technicians are skilled professionals who manage the technical needs of their clients outside the company's physical office space. They are usually on the field to visit their clients and check up on clients' equipment. Field service technicians are dispatched to provide technical support. They oversee installations, repairs, or maintenance activities. They ensure that all the work needed is done well. They also conduct diagnostic activities and troubleshooting. Field service technicians also supervise any updating or changes needed to be done in their clients' offices. They are expected to have good analytical skills, communication skills, and highly technical skills.
Maintenance technicians are technicians who specialize in the preservation of office facilities. They have in-depth knowledge of how various office equipment or fixtures work so that they can immediately identify how to repair them in case of breakdowns. Maintenance technicians perform diagnostics and routine maintenance activities to ensure that everything in the office is running well. They immediately repair problems in fixtures or equipment to avoid any further damages or safety concerns. They should be familiar with occupational safety and health standards to ensure that the office is a safe place to work.
Field service technicians and maintenance technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Field Service Technician | Maintenance Technician | |
| Average salary | $54,339 | $43,293 |
| Salary range | Between $35,000 And $82,000 | Between $31,000 And $59,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Richmond, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Rhode Island |
| Best paying company | Anheuser-Busch | |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a field service technician and a maintenance technician in terms of educational background:
| Field Service Technician | Maintenance Technician | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 40% | High School Diploma, 34% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Electrical Engineering Technology |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between field service technicians' and maintenance technicians' demographics:
| Field Service Technician | Maintenance Technician | |
| Average age | 44 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 92.3% Female, 7.7% | Male, 95.7% Female, 4.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.8% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 16.8% Asian, 1.7% White, 72.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | Black or African American, 11.4% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 18.2% Asian, 4.6% White, 60.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 1% | 2% |