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The differences between field service technicians and senior field service engineers 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 senior field service engineer takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a senior field service engineer has an average salary of $87,414, which is higher than the $54,339 average annual salary of a field service technician.
The top three skills for a field service technician include customer service, preventative maintenance and customer satisfaction. The most important skills for a senior field service engineer are customer service, customer satisfaction, and preventive maintenance.
| Field Service Technician | Senior Field Service Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $54,339 | $87,414 |
| Hourly rate | $26.12 | $42.03 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 167,298 | 111,380 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 40% | Associate Degree, 43% |
| Average age | 44 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 6 |
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.
Senior Field Service Engineers are responsible for the installation, repair, and maintenance of equipment. Their duties include installing equipment that complies with technical specifications, coordinating preventative maintenance, calibrating tools, test equipment, manage the contract tendering process, and conduct field modifications. They also assist in the ordering of repair parts as well as organizing service records and customer logs. Senior Filed Service Engineers works to ensure that work deliverable adheres to all regulatory requirements and health and safety protocols.
Field service technicians and senior field service engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Field Service Technician | Senior Field Service Engineer | |
| Average salary | $54,339 | $87,414 |
| Salary range | Between $35,000 And $82,000 | Between $66,000 And $115,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | South San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Canon | |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a field service technician and a senior field service engineer in terms of educational background:
| Field Service Technician | Senior Field Service Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 40% | Associate Degree, 43% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | - | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between field service technicians' and senior field service engineers' demographics:
| Field Service Technician | Senior Field Service Engineer | |
| Average age | 44 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 92.3% Female, 7.7% | Male, 96.8% Female, 3.2% |
| 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, 3.4% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.3% Asian, 10.3% White, 72.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 1% | 5% |