Mechanical technician vs engineering technician

The differences between mechanical technicians and engineering technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a mechanical 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 $51,367 average annual salary of a mechanical technician.

The top three skills for a mechanical technician include preventive maintenance, hand tools and electro-mechanical. The most important skills for an engineering technician are technical support, data collection, and test equipment.

Mechanical technician vs engineering technician overview

	Mechanical Technician	Engineering Technician
Yearly salary	$51,367	$60,273
Hourly rate	$24.70	$28.98
Growth rate	2%	3%
Number of jobs	106,997	111,343
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 38%	Bachelor's Degree, 46%
Average age	45	45
Years of experience	6	4

What does a mechanical technician do?

The primary job of mechanical technicians is to help mechanical engineers design, develop, test, and manufacture mechanical devices such as machines and engines. They typically do varied tasks, including evaluating design sketches for new and changing tools, discussing changes with colleagues, and reviewing blueprints and instructions for projects. As a mechanical technician, you are also responsible for estimating equipment life, plant space, and labor costs. To become successful in this role, you need to have an associate degree in mechanical engineering technology, excellent communication skills, and mechanical skills.

What does an engineering technician do?

An Engineering Technician's duties vary according to the industry or company, whether mechanical, industrial, civil, agricultural, or more. However, most of the time, the responsibilities often revolve around resolving technical issues, working with and assisting Engineers in building, assembling, designing, gathering and testing data, and conducting more manual activities. Furthermore, Engineering Technicians can specialize and work in various fields after a certain training period, closely mentored or monitored by an engineer or someone with extensive expertise.

Mechanical technician vs engineering technician salary

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

	Mechanical Technician	Engineering Technician
Average salary	$51,367	$60,273
Salary range	Between $38,000 And $68,000	Between $37,000 And $96,000
Highest paying City	Oakland, CA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	Alaska	Washington
Best paying company	Meta	Western Digital
Best paying industry	Energy	Technology

Differences between mechanical technician and engineering technician education

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

	Mechanical Technician	Engineering Technician
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 38%	Bachelor's Degree, 46%
Most common major	Electrical Engineering	Electrical Engineering
Most common college	Purdue University	Purdue University

Mechanical technician vs engineering technician demographics

Here are the differences between mechanical technicians' and engineering technicians' demographics:

	Mechanical Technician	Engineering Technician
Average age	45	45
Gender ratio	Male, 94.4% Female, 5.6%	Male, 85.9% Female, 14.1%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.6% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.9% Asian, 7.8% White, 60.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	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	6%	6%

Differences between mechanical technician and engineering technician duties and responsibilities

Mechanical technician example responsibilities.

Dispatch work accordingly, manage and assist team members with more complex repairs and diagnosis.
Operate heavy equipment including cranes, heavy loaders, bulldozers, backhoes, and tractors.
Service motor relate equipment such as AC/DC drives, motor starters, power distribution equipment, and cranes and hoists.
Wire DC breaker/AC breaker panels.
Repair and wiring of DC electrical motors.
Test ac induction, brushless, brush, stepper motors.

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.

Mechanical technician vs engineering technician skills

Common mechanical technician skills

Preventive Maintenance, 14%
Hand Tools, 10%
Electro-mechanical, 5%
Mechanical Equipment, 4%
PLC, 3%
Mechanical Systems, 3%

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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Mechanical Technician vs Engineering Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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