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The differences between instrumentation engineers and technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both an instrumentation engineer and a technician. Additionally, an instrumentation engineer has an average salary of $88,783, which is higher than the $38,045 average annual salary of a technician.
The top three skills for an instrumentation engineer include PLC, autocad and analyzers. The most important skills for a technician are patients, customer service, and patient care.
| Instrumentation Engineer | Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $88,783 | $38,045 |
| Hourly rate | $42.68 | $18.29 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 1% |
| Number of jobs | 45,735 | 596,842 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 2 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 79% | Bachelor's Degree, 32% |
| Average age | 45 | 40 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
An instrumentation engineer specializes in designing and developing equipment to optimize business processes. Their responsibilities revolve around performing research and analysis to identify the needs of a company, coordinating with different departments to gather data, devising strategies to create new processes, and preparing reports and presentations for the executives. An instrumentation engineer mostly performs installations and repairs; they also conduct regular maintenance to ensure the efficiency of facilities. Furthermore, they must answer inquiries and resolve issues and concerns, all in adherence to the company's policies and regulations.
Technicians are skilled professionals who primarily work with technology in different industries. They are knowledgeable about the technical aspects of the various items they work with. They are usually working with electricity or with technological advancements. Technicians may be assigned to do the construction of equipment or materials related to their field of study. They may also be assigned to conduct diagnostics and other maintenance activities to ensure that the equipment works properly. Technicians may also be required to conduct basic repairs in case of problems. It is important that technicians have good analytical skills and decision-making skills.
Instrumentation engineers and technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Instrumentation Engineer | Technician | |
| Average salary | $88,783 | $38,045 |
| Salary range | Between $65,000 And $119,000 | Between $24,000 And $58,000 |
| Highest paying City | Cupertino, CA | San Jose, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | Apple | Microsoft |
| Best paying industry | Government | Telecommunication |
There are a few differences between an instrumentation engineer and a technician in terms of educational background:
| Instrumentation Engineer | Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 79% | Bachelor's Degree, 32% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Business |
| Most common college | Michigan Technological University | - |
Here are the differences between instrumentation engineers' and technicians' demographics:
| Instrumentation Engineer | Technician | |
| Average age | 45 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 91.2% Female, 8.8% | Male, 75.2% Female, 24.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.9% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 11.5% Asian, 15.5% White, 63.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 9.4% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 19.4% Asian, 4.9% White, 61.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 2% |