Post job

Installation technician vs system technician

The differences between installation technicians and system technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a system technician has an average salary of $43,410, which is higher than the $38,043 average annual salary of an installation technician.

The top three skills for an installation technician include customer service, ladders and hand tools. The most important skills for a system technician are customer service, hand tools, and preventative maintenance.

Installation technician vs system technician overview

Installation TechnicianSystem Technician
Yearly salary$38,043$43,410
Hourly rate$18.29$20.87
Growth rate8%5%
Number of jobs129,534137,121
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeHigh School Diploma, 32%Associate Degree, 40%
Average age4543
Years of experience-2

What does an installation technician do?

Installation technicians are responsible for handling and installing all types of electronic systems and equipment. An installation technician should be well-knowledgeable about the equipment complexity to conduct troubleshooting for system malfunction or provide necessary instructions for the customers. In some cases, installation technicians are required to conduct regular checks and maintenance to ensure that the system functions properly, upgrading, or replacing equipment for improvement. Installation technicians usually handle customer queries for the system and are expected to resolve issues through remote work or area visit.

What does a system technician do?

A system technician is an individual responsible for supporting users with issues related to the computer system. System technicians conduct appropriate diagnostics on computer issues and must be able to explain technical issues to clients or team members. They should carry out tests on the system so that they can generate error reports to identify and fix any computer system problems. System technicians also can write and maintain computer programs and work with computers and electronics, including circuit boards, computer hardware and software, and computer processors.

Installation technician vs system technician salary

Installation technicians and system technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

Installation TechnicianSystem Technician
Average salary$38,043$43,410
Salary rangeBetween $29,000 And $49,000Between $27,000 And $67,000
Highest paying CitySeattle, WASeattle, WA
Highest paying stateWashingtonWashington
Best paying companyPellaBristol-Myers Squibb
Best paying industryFinanceGovernment

Differences between installation technician and system technician education

There are a few differences between an installation technician and a system technician in terms of educational background:

Installation TechnicianSystem Technician
Most common degreeHigh School Diploma, 32%Associate Degree, 40%
Most common majorElectrical EngineeringElectrical Engineering
Most common collegeNew York UniversityStanford University

Installation technician vs system technician demographics

Here are the differences between installation technicians' and system technicians' demographics:

Installation TechnicianSystem Technician
Average age4543
Gender ratioMale, 95.6% Female, 4.4%Male, 90.0% Female, 10.0%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 12.4% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 18.2% Asian, 6.3% White, 57.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%Black or African American, 8.8% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.5% Asian, 8.8% White, 64.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage6%9%

Differences between installation technician and system technician duties and responsibilities

Installation technician example responsibilities.

  • Project manage the complete installation of power and floor space of Nortel wireless switches.
  • Install, manage, and troubleshoot CAT3, CAT5, CAT6, and fiber optic infrastructures throughout the greater Tulsa area.
  • Train to build and verify customer routers, TCP/IP addresses ad gateways.
  • Inspect buildings, interpret blueprints, and laid out cable lines for telephone, internet, and cable TV.
  • Install telecommunications equipment including fire-suppression systems, switches, routers, multiplexers and cable trays.
  • Switch include 25 DMS bays , 2 PDC's and all associate cables.
  • Show more

System technician example responsibilities.

  • Install and manage approve software distributions using Microsoft SCCM.
  • Manage, support and maintain modern EMC SAN storage platform.
  • Manage 185 virtualize desktops running in a cluster VMware ESX environment.
  • Provide on-site construction support and lead system testing, debugging, and startup.
  • Develop and implement a weekly schedule on SQL databases to automate the execution of maintenance plans.
  • Plan and lead training programs on new software development essential to the movement to a paperless travel department for DoD.
  • Show more

Installation technician vs system technician skills

Common installation technician skills
  • Customer Service, 19%
  • Ladders, 8%
  • Hand Tools, 8%
  • Work Ethic, 7%
  • Broadband, 5%
  • GPS, 5%
Common system technician skills
  • Customer Service, 10%
  • Hand Tools, 7%
  • Preventative Maintenance, 6%
  • Technical Support, 5%
  • Control Systems, 4%
  • Security Systems, 4%

Browse installation, maintenance and repair jobs