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The differences between operations technicians and process technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an operations technician has an average salary of $40,899, which is higher than the $39,462 average annual salary of a process technician.
The top three skills for an operations technician include customer service, hand tools and preventative maintenance. The most important skills for a process technician are basic math, patients, and OSHA.
| Operations Technician | Process Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $40,899 | $39,462 |
| Hourly rate | $19.66 | $18.97 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 191,960 | 74,367 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 3 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 40% | Bachelor's Degree, 36% |
| Average age | 43 | 45 |
| Years of experience | - | 4 |
An operations technician is a plant employee responsible for monitoring and operating facilities of work platforms in a firm. To ensure supply availability and reduce rig downtime, operations technicians collaborate with engineers to troubleshoot mechanical problems and perform maintenance. They promote production safety by implementing instructions and procedures following the company's safety and environmental standards. They also maintain records of equipment history and report accidents to the appropriate personnel.
A process technician is responsible for managing the equipment and machinery used for various industries, such as manufacturing and engineering. Process technicians must have a strong knowledge of the mechanical industry, especially on operating certain equipment types and making adjustments on its features as needed, depending on the needs of the operation. They also run diagnostic tests to check a machine's working condition to ensure that it's free of any inconsistencies. A process technician also helps develop structure methods by communicating with the technical team and escalating all defective findings to the supervisor.
Operations technicians and process technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Operations Technician | Process Technician | |
| Average salary | $40,899 | $39,462 |
| Salary range | Between $30,000 And $55,000 | Between $30,000 And $51,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Santa Clara, CA |
| Highest paying state | Hawaii | Rhode Island |
| Best paying company | Pacific Northwest National Laboratory | HP |
| Best paying industry | Energy | Technology |
There are a few differences between an operations technician and a process technician in terms of educational background:
| Operations Technician | Process Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 40% | Bachelor's Degree, 36% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | Purdue University |
Here are the differences between operations technicians' and process technicians' demographics:
| Operations Technician | Process Technician | |
| Average age | 43 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 79.5% Female, 20.5% | Male, 73.2% Female, 26.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.9% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 18.2% Asian, 3.3% White, 62.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1% | Black or African American, 9.4% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.5% Asian, 7.6% White, 61.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 6% |