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The differences between field technicians and network 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 technician, becoming a network technician takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a network technician has an average salary of $68,938, which is higher than the $37,520 average annual salary of a field technician.
The top three skills for a field technician include customer service, ladders and test equipment. The most important skills for a network technician are customer service, switches, and troubleshoot.
| Field Technician | Network Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $37,520 | $68,938 |
| Hourly rate | $18.04 | $33.14 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 123,149 | 79,712 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 40% | Bachelor's Degree, 50% |
| Average age | 44 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 2 |
A field technician is responsible for providing technical and maintenance support for the customers by area visits. Field technicians' duties include diagnosing technical problems, replacing malfunction components, upgrading systems for efficiency, running equipment tests to ensure stability, creating draft reports of performed processes, utilizing vehicles and other tools safely, following client's specifications on operating equipment, and adhering to the safety standards. A field technician must have excellent communication and decision-making skills, as well as extensive knowledge of the technological industry.
A network technician is responsible for system malfunction diagnosis and troubleshooting operations. Network technicians duties' include repairing damaged system components, analyzing computer systems and blueprints, installing network connections, and upgrading accessories for efficient operations. Other duties include assisting customers with technical issues, ensuring computer systems' privacy, creating documents of network issues and resolutions, and suggesting alternative equipment for network backups. A network technician must have a broad knowledge of the technology industry and mechanical processes, plus the ability to work under pressure with minimal supervision.
Field technicians and network technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Field Technician | Network Technician | |
| Average salary | $37,520 | $68,938 |
| Salary range | Between $28,000 And $48,000 | Between $51,000 And $92,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | Urban Honolulu, HI |
| Highest paying state | Connecticut | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | DCP Midstream | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Energy | Finance |
There are a few differences between a field technician and a network technician in terms of educational background:
| Field Technician | Network Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 40% | Bachelor's Degree, 50% |
| Most common major | Business | Computer Science |
| Most common college | - | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between field technicians' and network technicians' demographics:
| Field Technician | Network Technician | |
| Average age | 44 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 88.5% Female, 11.5% | Male, 87.3% Female, 12.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.5% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 17.8% Asian, 1.7% White, 71.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | Black or African American, 8.9% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.6% Asian, 9.4% White, 63.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 1% | 9% |