Microwave technician vs test technician

The differences between microwave technicians and test technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a microwave technician and a test technician. Additionally, a microwave technician has an average salary of $47,493, which is higher than the $43,171 average annual salary of a test technician.

The top three skills for a microwave technician include test equipment, power meters and level troubleshooting. The most important skills for a test technician are test procedures, test results, and hand tools.

Microwave technician vs test technician overview

	Microwave Technician	Test Technician
Yearly salary	$47,493	$43,171
Hourly rate	$22.83	$20.76
Growth rate	-	-
Number of jobs	15,225	71,414
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 48%	Associate Degree, 45%
Average age	50	50
Years of experience	12	12

Microwave technician vs test technician salary

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

	Microwave Technician	Test Technician
Average salary	$47,493	$43,171
Salary range	Between $37,000 And $60,000	Between $30,000 And $61,000
Highest paying City	-	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	-	Hawaii
Best paying company	-	Nokia
Best paying industry	-	Technology

Differences between microwave technician and test technician education

There are a few differences between a microwave technician and a test technician in terms of educational background:

	Microwave Technician	Test Technician
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 48%	Associate Degree, 45%
Most common major	Electrical Engineering	Electrical Engineering
Most common college	Northeastern University	Northeastern University

Microwave technician vs test technician demographics

Here are the differences between microwave technicians' and test technicians' demographics:

	Microwave Technician	Test Technician
Average age	50	50
Gender ratio	Male, 95.6% Female, 4.4%	Male, 83.6% Female, 16.4%
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, 6.3% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 10.4% Asian, 8.0% White, 70.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%
LGBT Percentage	8%	8%

Differences between microwave technician and test technician 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.

Test technician example responsibilities.

Install and manage windows applications for the user, maintain servers and manage help desk operations.
Manage and distribute cad standards to contributing design consultants and assist with any design issues as necessary.
Perform in-circuit emulation and boundary scan testing (JTAG).
Perform extensive testing on CVD, PVD, display and solar tooling.
Configure bios to better suit the operating system, motherboard and CPU's needs and requirements.
Use of micrometers, calipers, torque wrenches, rivet and crimping tools, electrical test equipment, drill presses.

Microwave technician vs test technician skills

Common microwave technician skills

Test Equipment, 20%
Power Meters, 11%
Level Troubleshooting, 10%
MW, 7%
Frequency Counters, 5%
Antenna Systems, 4%

Common test technician skills

Test Procedures, 8%
Test Results, 8%
Hand Tools, 7%
Test Data, 5%
RF, 5%
Engineering Drawings, 4%