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The differences between media technicians and audio visual specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a media technician and an audio visual specialist. Additionally, an audio visual specialist has an average salary of $50,127, which is higher than the $45,576 average annual salary of a media technician.
The top three skills for a media technician include video production, troubleshoot and technical support. The most important skills for an audio visual specialist are visualization, video production, and unity.
| Media Technician | Audio Visual Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $45,576 | $50,127 |
| Hourly rate | $21.91 | $24.10 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 38,422 | 31,773 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 57% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
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.
Audiovisual specialists are skilled professionals who focus on the effective operation of audiovisual systems and technology. These specialists are required to maintain and troubleshoot audio, video, and lighting equipment that are used in broadcasts and recordings. They must connect, tune, and configure audio-video setups to ensure high-quality broadcasting while operating software to control the AV technologies. Audiovisual specialists must also monitor live feeds as well as prepare teleprompters with scripts.
Media technicians and audio visual specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Media Technician | Audio Visual Specialist | |
| Average salary | $45,576 | $50,127 |
| Salary range | Between $29,000 And $70,000 | Between $32,000 And $76,000 |
| Highest paying City | Stamford, CT | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Delaware | Connecticut |
| Best paying company | Zoetis | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Technology |
There are a few differences between a media technician and an audio visual specialist in terms of educational background:
| Media Technician | Audio Visual Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 57% |
| Most common major | Communication | Business |
| Most common college | Johns Hopkins University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between media technicians' and audio visual specialists' demographics:
| Media Technician | Audio Visual Specialist | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 69.7% Female, 30.3% | Male, 54.9% Female, 45.1% |
| Race ratio | 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% | Black or African American, 10.1% Unknown, 6.2% Hispanic or Latino, 16.2% Asian, 5.1% White, 62.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |