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The differences between in-house technicians and field technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become an in-house technician, becoming a field technician takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a field technician has an average salary of $37,520, which is higher than the $35,187 average annual salary of an in-house technician.
The top three skills for an in-house technician include HVAC, plumbing and troubleshoot. The most important skills for a field technician are customer service, ladders, and test equipment.
| In-House Technician | Field Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $35,187 | $37,520 |
| Hourly rate | $16.92 | $18.04 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 185,456 | 123,149 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 37% | Bachelor's Degree, 40% |
| Average age | 47 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 12 |
A technician is a skilled worker who works with technical and mechanical systems and handles any problems associated with them. They must have on-hand experience and are often called upon to repair defective components. An in-house technician may be employed by a client or company to provide customer support to their clients. They are responsible for any repair or maintenance work that needs to be done by the client. Unlike an independent technician, this job is typically more stable.
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.
In-house technicians and field technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| In-House Technician | Field Technician | |
| Average salary | $35,187 | $37,520 |
| Salary range | Between $20,000 And $60,000 | Between $28,000 And $48,000 |
| Highest paying City | Anchorage, AK | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | Hawaii | Connecticut |
| Best paying company | Prime Healthcare | DCP Midstream |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Energy |
There are a few differences between an in-house technician and a field technician in terms of educational background:
| In-House Technician | Field Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 37% | Bachelor's Degree, 40% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between in-house technicians' and field technicians' demographics:
| In-House Technician | Field Technician | |
| Average age | 47 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 74.7% Female, 25.3% | Male, 88.5% Female, 11.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.7% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 17.5% Asian, 4.7% White, 60.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2% | 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% |
| LGBT Percentage | 2% | 1% |