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The differences between office technicians and professional technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both an office technician and a professional technician. Additionally, a professional technician has an average salary of $81,726, which is higher than the $34,956 average annual salary of an office technician.
The top three skills for an office technician include data entry, patients and office equipment. The most important skills for a professional technician are customer service, cloud, and project management.
| Office Technician | Professional Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $34,956 | $81,726 |
| Hourly rate | $16.81 | $39.29 |
| Growth rate | -5% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 82,512 | 123,659 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 36% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Average age | 47 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
An Office Technician handles installation and repair tasks by using power tools and manual equipment safely and effectively. Besides installing, maintaining, and repairing central office equipment, an office technician also installs, tests, and labels cable lines. They deactivate, activate, and maintain office equipment. Other duties performed by office technicians include removing non-functional and unused office equipment, managing equipment stations and telecommunication rooms cabling, and maintaining inspection, repair, maintenance, and installation documents. Also, these professionals work as per environmental, safety, and health policies.
A professional technician is responsible for handling the complexities of technical and mechanical systems, repair defective components, and recommend technical solutions to enhance the company's productivity and efficiency in delivering high-quality deliverables. Professional technicians must be highly skilled in analyzing schematics and blueprints to assemble components and perform troubleshooting. They also manage the adequacy of inventories, create purchase requests, and identify costs and expenses for repairs and installations. A professional technician must be highly communicative and organization, especially in handling tasks with utmost adherence to safety protocols and regulations.
Office technicians and professional technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Office Technician | Professional Technician | |
| Average salary | $34,956 | $81,726 |
| Salary range | Between $25,000 And $48,000 | Between $64,000 And $104,000 |
| Highest paying City | Anchorage, AK | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Hawaii | California |
| Best paying company | Motorola Solutions | Microsoft |
| Best paying industry | Construction | Energy |
There are a few differences between an office technician and a professional technician in terms of educational background:
| Office Technician | Professional Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 36% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Most common major | Business | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Western Carolina University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between office technicians' and professional technicians' demographics:
| Office Technician | Professional Technician | |
| Average age | 47 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 30.0% Female, 70.0% | Male, 72.1% Female, 27.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.4% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 23.2% Asian, 8.5% White, 54.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% | Black or African American, 11.3% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.0% Asian, 12.8% White, 54.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 11% |