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Microwave technician vs technical testing engineer

The differences between microwave technicians and technical testing engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-12 months to become a microwave technician, becoming a technical testing engineer takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a technical testing engineer has an average salary of $88,367, which is higher than the $47,493 average annual salary of a microwave technician.

The top three skills for a microwave technician include test equipment, power meters and level troubleshooting. The most important skills for a technical testing engineer are test results, schematics, and test procedures.

Microwave technician vs technical testing engineer overview

Microwave TechnicianTechnical Testing Engineer
Yearly salary$47,493$88,367
Hourly rate$22.83$42.48
Growth rate-10%
Number of jobs15,225100,815
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeAssociate Degree, 48%Associate Degree, 47%
Average age5042
Years of experience124

Microwave technician vs technical testing engineer salary

Microwave technicians and technical testing engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Microwave TechnicianTechnical Testing Engineer
Average salary$47,493$88,367
Salary rangeBetween $37,000 And $60,000Between $62,000 And $125,000
Highest paying City-Issaquah, WA
Highest paying state-Washington
Best paying company-Western Digital
Best paying industry-Automotive

Differences between microwave technician and technical testing engineer education

There are a few differences between a microwave technician and a technical testing engineer in terms of educational background:

Microwave TechnicianTechnical Testing Engineer
Most common degreeAssociate Degree, 48%Associate Degree, 47%
Most common majorElectrical EngineeringElectrical Engineering
Most common collegeNortheastern UniversityNortheastern University

Microwave technician vs technical testing engineer demographics

Here are the differences between microwave technicians' and technical testing engineers' demographics:

Microwave TechnicianTechnical Testing Engineer
Average age5042
Gender ratioMale, 95.6% Female, 4.4%Male, 89.7% Female, 10.3%
Race ratioBlack 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, 4.9% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 12.0% Asian, 11.8% White, 67.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage8%4%

Differences between microwave technician and technical testing engineer duties and responsibilities

Microwave technician example responsibilities.

  • Assist in managing CDMA network, Voice/EVDO circuit's layouts, CDM circuit inventory and roll over's for cell sites.
  • Perform FCC proof of performance testing.
  • Measure insertion loss, isolation and VSWR.
  • Check quality of transmit signals and verify FCC compliance.
  • Conduct testing, tuning and troubleshooting of PC boards.
  • Maintain the operation of several active microwave and fiber systems by Nortel, Alcatel and Glenayre.
  • Show more

Technical testing engineer example responsibilities.

  • Design circuitry and write software to automate the testing of microwave data transmitters.
  • Lead project team to design and FDA validate 10-up extreme accuracy vial dosing system and CIP/SIP automate cleaning equipment.
  • Use of digital storage oscilloscopes to trace digital and analog signals during component level troubleshooting and system level integration and test.
  • Assist engineers with CE, and UL certifications.
  • Study and learn assembly, test and debug techniques.
  • Analyze software failures utilizing software base on Linux and Unix kernels.
  • Show more

Microwave technician vs technical testing engineer skills

Common microwave technician skills
  • Test Equipment, 20%
  • Power Meters, 11%
  • Level Troubleshooting, 10%
  • MW, 7%
  • Frequency Counters, 5%
  • Antenna Systems, 4%
Common technical testing engineer skills
  • Test Results, 7%
  • Schematics, 7%
  • Test Procedures, 6%
  • Test Data, 4%
  • Test Fixtures, 4%
  • RF, 4%

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