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The differences between light technicians and media 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 a media technician. Additionally, a media technician has an average salary of $45,576, 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 a media technician are video production, troubleshoot, and technical support.
| Light Technician | Media Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $40,111 | $45,576 |
| Hourly rate | $19.28 | $21.91 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 31,530 | 38,422 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 45% | Bachelor's Degree, 62% |
| 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.
Media technicians are professionals who are responsible for setting up and operating audio-visual and computer media equipment and materials. To enhance meetings, lectures, seminars, these technicians are required to schedule and assist the usage of equipment in academic or business settings. They must identify and perform troubleshooting with technical difficulties with online streaming and must effectively communicate with the staff from the information technology (IT) department. Media technicians must also identify sound or multimedia requirements for a given task and perform appropriate actions to produce this sound or media.
Light technicians and media technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Light Technician | Media Technician | |
| Average salary | $40,111 | $45,576 |
| Salary range | Between $28,000 And $56,000 | Between $29,000 And $70,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Stamford, CT |
| Highest paying state | California | Delaware |
| Best paying company | BlackRock | Zoetis |
| Best paying industry | Hospitality | Professional |
There are a few differences between a light technician and a media technician in terms of educational background:
| Light Technician | Media Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 45% | Bachelor's Degree, 62% |
| Most common major | Photography | Communication |
| Most common college | New Mexico State University | Johns Hopkins University |
Here are the differences between light technicians' and media technicians' demographics:
| Light Technician | Media Technician | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 86.6% Female, 13.4% | Male, 69.7% Female, 30.3% |
| 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, 8.9% Unknown, 6.5% Hispanic or Latino, 16.3% Asian, 5.1% White, 62.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |