Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between light technicians and av technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a light technician and an av technician. Additionally, an av technician has an average salary of $44,144, which is higher than the $40,111 average annual salary of a light technician.
The top three skills for a light technician include ladders, hand tools and light fixtures. The most important skills for an av technician are customer service, troubleshoot, and ladders.
| Light Technician | AV Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $40,111 | $44,144 |
| Hourly rate | $19.28 | $21.22 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 31,530 | 30,907 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 45% | Bachelor's Degree, 53% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A light technician is responsible for controlling and setting up all the needed lighting production equipment used in a show or concert. This person acts as an assistant to the lighting engineer or designer who controls and determines what needs to be developed and enhanced. They are the technicians who operate the visual effects, color lights, control switch, reflectors, and dim lights in a live or recorded show. A light technician always keeps the lighting equipment in good shape and condition.
An AV technician specializes in operating and managing audio-visual equipment, ensuring efficiency and smooth workflow. Their responsibilities typically revolve around liaising with clients to identify their needs, installing and setting up equipment, performing regular maintenance checks to ensure quality, and performing corrective measures when necessary. Furthermore, in a company setting, an AV technician may devise strategies to improve the performance of audio-visual equipment, assess existing systems to identify weaknesses, implement improvements, and produce progress reports as needed.
Light technicians and av technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Light Technician | AV Technician | |
| Average salary | $40,111 | $44,144 |
| Salary range | Between $28,000 And $56,000 | Between $28,000 And $67,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Novato, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Connecticut |
| Best paying company | BlackRock | Pace University |
| Best paying industry | Hospitality | Technology |
There are a few differences between a light technician and an av technician in terms of educational background:
| Light Technician | AV Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 45% | Bachelor's Degree, 53% |
| Most common major | Photography | Communication |
| Most common college | New Mexico State University | Johns Hopkins University |
Here are the differences between light technicians' and av technicians' demographics:
| Light Technician | AV Technician | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 86.6% Female, 13.4% | Male, 90.5% Female, 9.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.2% Unknown, 6.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.5% Asian, 5.1% White, 62.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 10.0% Unknown, 6.2% Hispanic or Latino, 16.5% Asian, 5.1% White, 61.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |