Manufacturing test technician vs engineering technician

The differences between manufacturing test technicians and engineering technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-12 months to become a manufacturing test technician, becoming an engineering technician takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, an engineering technician has an average salary of $60,273, which is higher than the $51,360 average annual salary of a manufacturing test technician.

The top three skills for a manufacturing test technician include test equipment, RF and hand tools. The most important skills for an engineering technician are technical support, data collection, and test equipment.

Manufacturing test technician vs engineering technician overview

	Manufacturing Test Technician	Engineering Technician
Yearly salary	$51,360	$60,273
Hourly rate	$24.69	$28.98
Growth rate	-	3%
Number of jobs	56,952	111,343
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 54%	Bachelor's Degree, 46%
Average age	50	45
Years of experience	12	4

Manufacturing test technician vs engineering technician salary

Manufacturing test technicians and engineering technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Manufacturing Test Technician	Engineering Technician
Average salary	$51,360	$60,273
Salary range	Between $35,000 And $73,000	Between $37,000 And $96,000
Highest paying City	-	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	-	Washington
Best paying company	-	Western Digital
Best paying industry	-	Technology

Differences between manufacturing test technician and engineering technician education

There are a few differences between a manufacturing test technician and an engineering technician in terms of educational background:

	Manufacturing Test Technician	Engineering Technician
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 54%	Bachelor's Degree, 46%
Most common major	Electrical Engineering	Electrical Engineering
Most common college	Northeastern University	Purdue University

Manufacturing test technician vs engineering technician demographics

Here are the differences between manufacturing test technicians' and engineering technicians' demographics:

	Manufacturing Test Technician	Engineering Technician
Average age	50	45
Gender ratio	Male, 89.7% Female, 10.3%	Male, 85.9% Female, 14.1%
Race ratio	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%	Black or African American, 9.5% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.7% Asian, 9.2% White, 59.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	8%	6%

Differences between manufacturing test technician and engineering technician duties and responsibilities

Manufacturing test technician example responsibilities.

Install and manage windows applications for the user, maintain servers and manage help desk operations.
Test, troubleshoot analog and digital microprocessor circuits to component level, update production to meet current revision requirements.
Design and test various prototype boards incorporating PIC Microcontrollers.

Engineering technician example responsibilities.

Used Microsoft SharePoint to manage projects, web base collaboration, alerts and for document management.
Achieve UL certification for thermal overload protection used in motor applications.
Manage equipment database and organize annual equipment calibration require by internal quality control and ISO standards.
Manage and distribute cad standards to contributing design consultants and assist with any design issues as necessary.
Maintain engineering lab equipment: troubleshoot and repair any faulty electronic or mechanical malfunctions, and calibrate test equipment.
Specialize in software and hardware engineering to military standards and project management of DoD contracts.

Manufacturing test technician vs engineering technician skills

Common manufacturing test technician skills

Test Equipment, 10%
RF, 8%
Hand Tools, 7%
Test Data, 6%
Lean Manufacturing, 5%
Test Procedures, 4%

Common engineering technician skills

Technical Support, 5%
Data Collection, 4%
Test Equipment, 4%
Asphalt, 4%
Construction Projects, 4%
Construction Materials, 4%

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Manufacturing Test Technician vs Engineering Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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