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The differences between lead technicians and engineering technician leads can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a lead technician, becoming an engineering technician lead takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, an engineering technician lead has an average salary of $107,373, which is higher than the $90,615 average annual salary of a lead technician.
The top three skills for a lead technician include java, architecture and digital transformation. The most important skills for an engineering technician lead are java, python, and C++.
| Lead Technician | Engineering Technician Lead | |
| Yearly salary | $90,615 | $107,373 |
| Hourly rate | $43.56 | $51.62 |
| Growth rate | 10% | - |
| Number of jobs | 250,590 | 102,504 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 50% | Bachelor's Degree, 56% |
| Average age | 42 | 50 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 12 |
Lead technicians are technicians who oversee the technical needs of a specific project or department. They are usually tenured employees, and their familiarity with the company's technical and technological processes, software, and hardware would be a great advantage in succeeding in their role. Lead technicians are responsible for installing, updating, and maintaining various software and hardware components in the office. They often manage a group of technicians, and they ensure that the group they manage is properly trained and well-versed on the processes of the company. Lead technicians are expected to have strong analytical skills and decision-making skills.
Engineering technician leads are technical professionals who lead a team to design and build prototypes of a planned product or equipment. These technician leads are required to provide advice and technical support to the engineering team to resolve technical issues as well as oversee system maintenance and enhancement. They must work with both product development and manufacturing engineers to improve the existing manufacturing processes. Engineering technician leads must also participate in activities related to maintenance and troubleshooting of equipment.
Lead technicians and engineering technician leads have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Lead Technician | Engineering Technician Lead | |
| Average salary | $90,615 | $107,373 |
| Salary range | Between $67,000 And $121,000 | Between $80,000 And $142,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Palo Alto, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Retail | Technology |
There are a few differences between a lead technician and an engineering technician lead in terms of educational background:
| Lead Technician | Engineering Technician Lead | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 50% | Bachelor's Degree, 56% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between lead technicians' and engineering technician leads' demographics:
| Lead Technician | Engineering Technician Lead | |
| Average age | 42 | 50 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 83.4% Female, 16.6% | Male, 88.9% Female, 11.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.4% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.1% Asian, 15.1% White, 53.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 6.3% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 10.4% Asian, 8.0% White, 70.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 8% |