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The differences between maintenance technicians and aircraft 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 maintenance technician and an aircraft engineer. Additionally, an aircraft engineer has an average salary of $72,867, which is higher than the $43,293 average annual salary of a maintenance technician.
The top three skills for a maintenance technician include plumbing, HVAC and hand tools. The most important skills for an aircraft engineer are DOD, aircraft systems, and CAD.
| Maintenance Technician | Aircraft Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $43,293 | $72,867 |
| Hourly rate | $20.81 | $35.03 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 178,450 | 5,718 |
| Job satisfaction | 4.25 | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 34% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Average age | 47 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
Maintenance technicians are technicians who specialize in the preservation of office facilities. They have in-depth knowledge of how various office equipment or fixtures work so that they can immediately identify how to repair them in case of breakdowns. Maintenance technicians perform diagnostics and routine maintenance activities to ensure that everything in the office is running well. They immediately repair problems in fixtures or equipment to avoid any further damages or safety concerns. They should be familiar with occupational safety and health standards to ensure that the office is a safe place to work.
An aircraft engineer oversees the design and assembly of an aircraft. Broadly, they are responsible for developing aircraft designs, testing and fine-tuning them, and ensuring safe practices during the assembly process. Specifically, this involves providing design drafts, meeting with executives to get feedback, and working in an engineering team to improve designs. They must consider aerodynamic principles, air safety, passenger comfort, and customer. This position requires an advanced degree and strong experience in the aviation field.
Maintenance technicians and aircraft engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Maintenance Technician | Aircraft Engineer | |
| Average salary | $43,293 | $72,867 |
| Salary range | Between $31,000 And $59,000 | Between $53,000 And $99,000 |
| Highest paying City | Richmond, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Rhode Island | California |
| Best paying company | Anheuser-Busch | Joby Aviation |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Transportation |
There are a few differences between a maintenance technician and an aircraft engineer in terms of educational background:
| Maintenance Technician | Aircraft Engineer | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 34% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering Technology | Aerospace Engineering |
| Most common college | - | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between maintenance technicians' and aircraft engineers' demographics:
| Maintenance Technician | Aircraft Engineer | |
| Average age | 47 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 95.7% Female, 4.3% | Male, 91.1% Female, 8.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.4% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 18.2% Asian, 4.6% White, 60.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2% | Black or African American, 4.2% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 11.4% Asian, 10.8% White, 68.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 2% | 8% |