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The differences between master technicians and alignment 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 master technician and an alignment technician. Additionally, a master technician has an average salary of $97,027, which is higher than the $38,020 average annual salary of an alignment technician.
The top three skills for a master technician include strong customer service, customer vehicles and engine performance. The most important skills for an alignment technician are customer service, hand tools, and power steering.
| Master Technician | Alignment Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $97,027 | $38,020 |
| Hourly rate | $46.65 | $18.28 |
| Growth rate | 1% | 1% |
| Number of jobs | 137,644 | 143,585 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 33% | High School Diploma, 40% |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A Master Technician diagnoses and repairs vehicles accurately within a reasonable time frame and quality. Their primary duties include the maintenance of vehicles to ensure proper performance, repairing of individual parts, and replacement of entire systems.
Alignment Technicians are responsible for the alignment process of wheels and tires of a vehicle. Their duties include completing work repair orders, driving vehicles to the wheel alignment rack, and administering regular tests of the bent axle, bent steering rods, worn ball joints, and faulty wheel alignment. They are also involved in straightening axles, adjusting shims, straightening steering rods, and joining pins to undertake new parts installation or wheel alignment. They also perform counterweights hammering, shock absorber installations, and frame straightening. Other duties may include ensuring work complies with factory standards, attending product training by the manufacturer, and safely operating equipment and tools.
Master technicians and alignment technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Master Technician | Alignment Technician | |
| Average salary | $97,027 | $38,020 |
| Salary range | Between $62,000 And $150,000 | Between $25,000 And $57,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | - |
| Highest paying state | Washington | - |
| Best paying company | Teradata | - |
| Best paying industry | - | - |
There are a few differences between a master technician and an alignment technician in terms of educational background:
| Master Technician | Alignment Technician | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 33% | High School Diploma, 40% |
| Most common major | Automotive Technology | Automotive Technology |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between master technicians' and alignment technicians' demographics:
| Master Technician | Alignment Technician | |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 91.7% Female, 8.3% | Male, 95.9% Female, 4.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.8% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 19.2% Asian, 5.0% White, 61.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% | Black or African American, 8.4% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 18.9% Asian, 5.8% White, 61.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% |
| LGBT Percentage | 2% | 2% |