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The differences between finishing technicians and machines technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a finishing technician and a machines technician. Additionally, a machines technician has an average salary of $39,754, which is higher than the $35,050 average annual salary of a finishing technician.
The top three skills for a finishing technician include hand tools, grinders and pallets. The most important skills for a machines technician are CNC, hand tools, and calipers.
| Finishing Technician | Machines Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $35,050 | $39,754 |
| Hourly rate | $16.85 | $19.11 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 14% |
| Number of jobs | 43,972 | 106,175 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 39% | High School Diploma, 34% |
| Average age | 44 | 48 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
With great attention to detail, a finishing technician must have the ability to use all the machinery provided to finish a job. Finishing technicians must work long hours on sketches, blueprints, and other specifications. They must execute quality work to deadlines and adapt to changes that might occur between process implementations. They are responsible for training staff on machines and troubleshooting when issues arise. They are also responsible for quality control on finished products.
A machine technician can often be seen in a manufacturing company, factories, processing centers, and machine shops. They typically work as the apprentice of machine engineers that are responsible for ensuring that all machinery and machine tools are working properly. A technician operates, installs, maintains, inspects, and repairs equipment depending on what industry they are working in, whether it may be an industrial or automotive setup. They must be keen on detail and keep the machines or equipment to the highest quality standard at all times.
Finishing technicians and machines technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Finishing Technician | Machines Technician | |
| Average salary | $35,050 | $39,754 |
| Salary range | Between $27,000 And $43,000 | Between $30,000 And $52,000 |
| Highest paying City | Baton Rouge, LA | Los Angeles, CA |
| Highest paying state | Montana | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Promega | ABB |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Automotive |
There are a few differences between a finishing technician and a machines technician in terms of educational background:
| Finishing Technician | Machines Technician | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 39% | High School Diploma, 34% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Southern California | - |
Here are the differences between finishing technicians' and machines technicians' demographics:
| Finishing Technician | Machines Technician | |
| Average age | 44 | 48 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 68.4% Female, 31.6% | Male, 85.1% Female, 14.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.4% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 15.6% Asian, 8.4% White, 63.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | Black or African American, 8.5% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 15.9% Asian, 3.4% White, 67.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 2% |