Hydrology technician vs surveillance technician

The differences between hydrology technicians and surveillance 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 hydrology technician and a surveillance technician. Additionally, a hydrology technician has an average salary of $44,955, which is higher than the $41,279 average annual salary of a surveillance technician.

The top three skills for a hydrology technician include data collection, surface water and hydrologic data. The most important skills for a surveillance technician are ladders, CCTV, and construction sites.

Hydrology technician vs surveillance technician overview

	Hydrology Technician	Surveillance Technician
Yearly salary	$44,955	$41,279
Hourly rate	$21.61	$19.85
Growth rate	9%	9%
Number of jobs	10,904	13,099
Job satisfaction	-	1
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 76%	Bachelor's Degree, 44%
Average age	38	38
Years of experience	2	2

Hydrology technician vs surveillance technician salary

Hydrology technicians and surveillance technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Hydrology Technician	Surveillance Technician
Average salary	$44,955	$41,279
Salary range	Between $29,000 And $68,000	Between $30,000 And $55,000
Highest paying City	Fairbanks, AK	-
Highest paying state	New York	-
Best paying company	University of California, Berkeley	-
Best paying industry	Government	-

Differences between hydrology technician and surveillance technician education

There are a few differences between a hydrology technician and a surveillance technician in terms of educational background:

	Hydrology Technician	Surveillance Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 76%	Bachelor's Degree, 44%
Most common major	Geology	Business
Most common college	Duke University	Stanford University

Hydrology technician vs surveillance technician demographics

Here are the differences between hydrology technicians' and surveillance technicians' demographics:

	Hydrology Technician	Surveillance Technician
Average age	38	38
Gender ratio	Male, 71.3% Female, 28.7%	Male, 81.7% Female, 18.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.3% Unknown, 5.7% Hispanic or Latino, 16.5% Asian, 7.4% White, 60.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%	Black or African American, 9.6% Unknown, 6.2% Hispanic or Latino, 17.0% Asian, 10.4% White, 55.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%
LGBT Percentage	8%	8%

Differences between hydrology technician and surveillance technician duties and responsibilities

Hydrology technician example responsibilities.

Lead a crew of twelve techs in various archaeological excavations.
Create GIS exhibits utilizing ArcMap, the printers and large format plotters.
Devise a database scheme and handle data uploads and downloads between ArcGIS and ArcMap.
Experience with plumbing and pond irrigation.
Perform nitrate and fluoride analysis on drinking waters using an ion exchange electrode.
Monitor conductivity, PH, and nitrate levels and will add nitrate when need.

Surveillance technician example responsibilities.

Manage implementation and networking of multi-million dollar tactical datalink architecture consisting of windows base and proprietary systems.
Manage numerous outdoor storage locations for government ammunition stockpiles while simultaneously providing rapid logistical support to facilitate employee training.
Switch over to digital recording which involve IP addressing cameras, video encoders, hard drive arrays, and Cisco switches.
Maintain hardware and software systems and manual records require to successfully perform stock control accounting procedures for ammunition and explosives.
Maintain physical control over all entrances to the SCIF.
Use of DoD equipment and technologies for surveillance monitoring.

Hydrology technician vs surveillance technician skills

Common hydrology technician skills

Data Collection, 17%
Surface Water, 10%
Hydrologic Data, 10%
USGS, 8%
Water Quality Data, 6%
Water Quality Samples, 5%

Common surveillance technician skills

Ladders, 10%
CCTV, 8%
Construction Sites, 7%
Surveillance Equipment, 7%
CST, 6%
Security Integrity, 5%

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Hydrology Technician
Hydrology Technician vs Surveillance Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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