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The differences between lead test technicians and quality assurance engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a lead test technician and a quality assurance engineer. Additionally, a quality assurance engineer has an average salary of $82,215, which is higher than the $81,566 average annual salary of a lead test technician.
The top three skills for a lead test technician include java, QA and test strategy. The most important skills for a quality assurance engineer are java, python, and regression.
| Lead Test Technician | Quality Assurance Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $81,566 | $82,215 |
| Hourly rate | $39.21 | $39.53 |
| Growth rate | - | - |
| Number of jobs | 51,060 | 243,536 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
Lead test technicians are professionals who are responsible for leading a group of test professionals to test products and report their findings to engineers or product developers. These technicians are required to design and develop test plans and procedures so that they can validate the requirements of products. They are required to use various test equipment as well as to conduct maintenance to ensure the product's functionality and quality. Lead test technicians must also gather and analyze user feedback to improve the overall user experience and satisfaction.
A Quality Assurance Engineer's role is to oversee the overall production and ensure that the product is cost-efficient and aligns with the company's standards. The responsibility mainly revolves around conducting activities that examine and scrutinize the condition of a product or service to identify issues and come up with possible solutions to resolve the issue or attain stronger customer satisfaction. Furthermore, the Quality Assurance Engineer must also ensure that the product adheres to the government regulations and market guidelines.
Lead test technicians and quality assurance engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Lead Test Technician | Quality Assurance Engineer | |
| Average salary | $81,566 | $82,215 |
| Salary range | Between $65,000 And $101,000 | Between $61,000 And $109,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Mateo, CA |
| Highest paying state | New Hampshire | California |
| Best paying company | Macy's | The Citadel |
| Best paying industry | Automotive | Technology |
There are a few differences between a lead test technician and a quality assurance engineer in terms of educational background:
| Lead Test Technician | Quality Assurance Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between lead test technicians' and quality assurance engineers' demographics:
| Lead Test Technician | Quality Assurance Engineer | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 70.3% Female, 29.7% | Male, 69.5% Female, 30.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 8.8% Asian, 12.0% White, 67.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 8.8% Asian, 12.0% White, 67.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |