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An instrument technician is in charge of testing, repairing, and inspecting all manufacturing equipment. He/She ensures that the machines are functioning properly. He/She works with engineers to develop and produce equipment designs. Similarly, he/she advises process technicians on the equipment operation. Also, he/she tests and repairs instrumentation systems use by production equipment. This is to ensure compliance with established performance levels and product quality. Furthermore, he/she analyzes instruments to establish a repair plan and documents and verifies problems and actions taken.

Instrument technicians find employment in chemical plants, petroleum refineries, canneries, and food processing plants. This role requires a minimum of a high school diploma or its equivalent. You must possess maths, comprehension, problem-solving, critical thinking, analytical, computer, mechanical, communication, and decision-making skills. You need at least a year of relevant work experience. The average salary of these experts is $46,669 annually, or $22.44 per hour. It varies between $34,000 and $62,000.

What Does an Instrument Technician Do

There are certain skills that many instrument technicians have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed math skills, mechanical skills and writing skills.

Learn more about what an Instrument Technician does

How To Become an Instrument Technician

If you're interested in becoming an instrument technician, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 22.2% of instrument technicians have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 1.8% of instrument technicians have master's degrees. Even though some instrument technicians have a college degree, it's possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.

Learn More About How To Become an Instrument Technician

Instrument Technician Job Description

An instrument technician is a professional in charge of installing, testing, and repairing manufacturing machines and similar tools. Their duties include conducting tests and general maintenance and adjusting systems as necessary.

Learn more about Instrument Technician Job Description

Career Path For an Instrument Technician

As you move along in your career, you may start taking on more responsibilities or notice that you've taken on a leadership role. Using our career map, an instrument technician can determine their career goals through the career progression. For example, they could start out with a role such as electrician, progress to a title such as field service technician and then eventually end up with the title senior field service engineer.

Instrument Technician

Average Salary for an Instrument Technician

Instrument Technicians in America make an average salary of $56,918 per year or $27 per hour. The top 10 percent makes over $83,000 per year, while the bottom 10 percent under $38,000 per year.
Average Instrument Technician Salary
$56,918 Yearly
$27.36 hourly

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Roles and Types of Instrument Technician

The role of an instrument technician includes a wide range of responsibilities. These responsibilities can vary based on an individual's specific job, company, or industry.Here are some general instrument technician responsibilities:

  • Perform instrument calibrations for process, utility
  • Troubleshooting, removing, repairing and re-installing various types of control loops, controllers, transmitters, automated valves
  • Install, operate, inspect, troubleshoot, repair, calibrate/adjust,

There are several types of instrument technician, including:

Technician

Role:

To be a technician, you have to know your stuff. Some may refer to you as an expert in your field or maybe people will know you as skilled in an art or craft. Then again, you may just be needed to look after technical equipment.

Your workload as a technician will vary, depending on what you're trained in. You may be needed to set up a new computer system or maybe you'll need to fix an electricity problem. Either way, you'll probably only need to work 40 hours a week.

The degree of education required for this job depends on what you're specific skillset is. Some technicians only need a high school diploma, others may want to complete an associate's program or earn a certificate to help their employment opportunities. There's definitely something for everyone in the field of technicians.
  • Average Salary: $38,045
  • Degree: Bachelor's Degree

Electronics Technician

Role:

Wherever there is electricity, you will find an electronic technician. In places where there is lighting, heating, computers, machinery, or public transport, sooner or later they show up.

Electronic technicians know everything about circuits, amplifiers, resistors, switches, and regulators. They design electronic devices and components, maintain electronic systems, and install electrical equipment.

Choosing to be an electronic technician might be the best decision of your life. Electricity is magic, there is never enough of it. The amount of electricity used in the U.S. alone today is 13 times the quantity needed in 1950, and this tendency is not about to reverse anytime soon.

The average hourly pay of an electric technician is $21.31. You can do the math. If not, you might want to look for another profession, keep browsing those job posts.

  • Average Salary: $46,660
  • Degree: Associate Degree

Test Technician

Role:

If you've got a natural aptitude in technical applications and you enjoy the first crack at testing new products, you may be well-suited for the role of a test technician. Being a test technician, generally, your primary task is to analyze systems and conduct various performance and production-related tests on equipment and instruments used in the production area of a specific business.

In this position, you may assist the technical teams with recommendations to resolve the testing problems. Evaluating the products, machinery, and equipment malfunctions will be your primary duties. Usually, you may report your findings to engineers, supervisors, product developers, and other technical professionals.

Typically, you may work full-time, but overtime and weekend work may come in some cases to test and identify the recurring problems. Being a test technician, you may work in laboratories, factories, or even offices. The educational requirements for becoming a test technician may vary by employer. However, most employers require test technicians to have an associate's degree or diploma in science or engineering, while some may require a bachelor's degree in engineering or related discipline.

To be successful, you must have a keen eye for detail, the ability to read blueprints, and familiarity to calibrate and repair various testing equipment and tools. Monitoring and performing equipment maintenance, you may earn a median annual wage of $42,000 along with health insurance benefits, retirement coverage, vacation, sick time, and longtime bonuses.
  • Average Salary: $43,171
  • Degree: Associate Degree

States With The Most Instrument Technician Jobs

Mouse over a state to see the number of active instrument technician jobs in each state. The darker areas on the map show where instrument technicians earn the highest salaries across all 50 states.

Average Salary: Job Openings:

Number Of Instrument Technician Jobs By State

RankStateNumber of JobsAverage Salary
1California1,580$67,612
2Florida1,273$43,477
3Texas1,129$50,663
4New York995$47,735
5Illinois863$48,681
6North Carolina825$50,361
7Georgia773$48,310
8Massachusetts710$45,468
9Virginia604$59,169
10New Jersey604$43,102
11Pennsylvania597$48,952
12Michigan572$48,910
13Ohio543$46,687
14Indiana518$55,048
15Minnesota517$53,066
16Maryland488$51,058
17Colorado471$58,601
18Missouri469$41,538
19Arizona415$48,026
20Wisconsin400$47,677
21Washington364$66,115
22Tennessee326$43,331
23Connecticut312$38,589
24Alabama304$40,229
25South Carolina300$44,576
26Iowa292$38,084
27Kentucky258$45,321
28Utah253$42,352
29Oregon229$57,221
30Louisiana211$53,056
31Kansas208$54,863
32Nevada200$53,253
33Oklahoma200$54,964
34Maine180$32,762
35Mississippi169$51,174
36Nebraska166$43,239
37Arkansas165$48,436
38New Hampshire144$35,685
39New Mexico142$62,048
40West Virginia138$54,547
41Delaware126$50,028
42Alaska108$62,273
43Hawaii97$71,189
44Idaho97$41,922
45Montana94$46,590
46Vermont87$42,087
47Rhode Island79$41,790
48South Dakota73$44,988
49North Dakota68$42,827
50Wyoming45$51,350

Instrument Technician Education

Instrument Technician Majors

11.6 %

Instrument Technician Degrees

Associate

48.1 %

Bachelors

22.2 %

High School Diploma

12.6 %

Top Colleges for Instrument Technicians

1. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

In-State Tuition

$51,522

Enrollment

13,760

2. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$6,798

Enrollment

31,503

3. Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-State Tuition

$51,832

Enrollment

4,550

4. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

5. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-State Tuition

$50,420

Enrollment

7,582

6. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

In-State Tuition

$55,695

Enrollment

6,596

7. California State Polytechnic University, Pomona

Pomona, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$7,353

Enrollment

24,841

8. Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-State Tuition

$5,785

Enrollment

7,711

9. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-State Tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

10. Texas A&M University

College Station, TX • Private

In-State Tuition

$11,870

Enrollment

53,194

Top Skills For an Instrument Technician

The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 15.2% of instrument technicians listed patients on their resume, but soft skills such as math skills and mechanical skills are important as well.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Instrument Technician Resume templates

Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use Instrument Technician templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your Instrument Technician resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.

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Instrument Technician Resume
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Instrument Technician Resume

Instrument Technician diversity

Instrument Technician Gender Distribution

Male
Male
83%
Female
Female
17%

After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:

  • Among instrument technicians, 16.6% of them are women, while 83.4% are men.

  • The most common race/ethnicity among instrument technicians is White, which makes up 70.8% of all instrument technicians.

  • The most common foreign language among instrument technicians is Spanish at 68.8%.

Online Courses For Instrument Technician That You May Like

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Best States For an Instrument Technician

Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as an instrument technician. The best states for people in this position are Hawaii, California, Washington, and Alaska. Instrument technicians make the most in Hawaii with an average salary of $71,189. Whereas in California and Washington, they would average $67,612 and $66,115, respectively. While instrument technicians would only make an average of $62,273 in Alaska, you would still make more there than in the rest of the country. We determined these as the best states based on job availability and pay. By finding the median salary, cost of living, and using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Location Quotient, we narrowed down our list of states to these four.

1. Hawaii

Total Instrument Technician Jobs: 97
Highest 10% Earn:
$90,000
Location Quotient:
1.66

2. West Virginia

Total Instrument Technician Jobs: 138
Highest 10% Earn:
$84,000
Location Quotient:
1.3

3. Alaska

Total Instrument Technician Jobs: 108
Highest 10% Earn:
$73,000
Location Quotient:
1.86
Full List Of Best States For Instrument Technicians

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Top Instrument Technician Employers

Most Common Employers For Instrument Technician

RankCompanyAverage SalaryHourly RateJob Openings
1The Dow Chemical Company$98,496$47.3530
2Pfizer$92,107$44.2832
3Fluor Corporation$80,287$38.6024
4Abbott$79,357$38.1521
5General Electric$73,066$35.1330
6KBR$59,065$28.4024
7TriAd Marketing & Media$59,039$28.3871
8Roush$59,023$28.3834
9US Air Conditioning Distributors$58,932$28.3326
10TASC$58,814$28.2825