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The differences between graduate engineers and engineering technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a graduate engineer, becoming an engineering technician takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a graduate engineer has an average salary of $70,395, which is higher than the $60,273 average annual salary of an engineering technician.
The top three skills for a graduate engineer include civil 3d, cost estimates and project management. The most important skills for an engineering technician are technical support, data collection, and test equipment.
| Graduate Engineer | Engineering Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $70,395 | $60,273 |
| Hourly rate | $33.84 | $28.98 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 98,584 | 111,343 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 83% | Bachelor's Degree, 46% |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 4 |
A graduate engineer can work in different engineering subspecialties, such as mechanical, civil, chemical, aerospace, and electrical. Most graduate engineers work on projects while under the supervision and directives of a supervisor or senior engineer. Their duties usually involve identifying and understanding project requirements, conducting research and assessments, completing surveys, and preparing models using different tools and software. Additionally, a graduate engineer can also create designs and prototypes according to project requirements and guidelines, producing regular progress reports for supervisors.
An Engineering Technician's duties vary according to the industry or company, whether mechanical, industrial, civil, agricultural, or more. However, most of the time, the responsibilities often revolve around resolving technical issues, working with and assisting Engineers in building, assembling, designing, gathering and testing data, and conducting more manual activities. Furthermore, Engineering Technicians can specialize and work in various fields after a certain training period, closely mentored or monitored by an engineer or someone with extensive expertise.
Graduate engineers and engineering technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Graduate Engineer | Engineering Technician | |
| Average salary | $70,395 | $60,273 |
| Salary range | Between $55,000 And $89,000 | Between $37,000 And $96,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Rhode Island | Washington |
| Best paying company | Microsoft | Western Digital |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Technology |
There are a few differences between a graduate engineer and an engineering technician in terms of educational background:
| Graduate Engineer | Engineering Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 83% | Bachelor's Degree, 46% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Johns Hopkins University | Purdue University |
Here are the differences between graduate engineers' and engineering technicians' demographics:
| Graduate Engineer | Engineering Technician | |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 77.3% Female, 22.7% | Male, 85.9% Female, 14.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.1% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.0% Asian, 24.9% White, 57.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 9.5% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.7% Asian, 9.2% White, 59.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |