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The differences between pipeline technicians and lead field technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a pipeline technician and a lead field technician. Additionally, a lead field technician has an average salary of $40,838, which is higher than the $40,614 average annual salary of a pipeline technician.
The top three skills for a pipeline technician include DOT, safety equipment and excavations. The most important skills for a lead field technician are customer service, data collection, and GPS.
| Pipeline Technician | Lead Field Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $40,614 | $40,838 |
| Hourly rate | $19.53 | $19.63 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 11,313 | 88,080 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 33% | Bachelor's Degree, 45% |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A pipeline technician specializes in the maintenance of pipeline systems, ensuring efficiency and smooth workflow. Their responsibilities include liaising with clients and traveling to their locations, assessing the site conditions, performing tests and inspections using special equipment and computer programs, and repairing leaks and other detected issues promptly and efficiently. Furthermore, as a pipeline technician, it is essential to maintain an active communication line with team members, coordinating with them every step of the way for a safe and effective service.
The Lead Field Technician serves as the assistant of the Field Supervisor. Their responsibility includes taking immediate action and making decisions for instances that individuals or organizations need their help. They are the one who implements and monitors a company's guidelines and policy and maintains the standard procedure of all the systems. Also, being an assistant, they can act as an overseer to determine the employees and equipment types that need to work smoothly and orderly.
Pipeline technicians and lead field technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Pipeline Technician | Lead Field Technician | |
| Average salary | $40,614 | $40,838 |
| Salary range | Between $26,000 And $63,000 | Between $24,000 And $67,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Oakland, CA |
| Highest paying state | - | Nevada |
| Best paying company | - | Schneider Electric Industrial Services |
| Best paying industry | - | Utilities |
There are a few differences between a pipeline technician and a lead field technician in terms of educational background:
| Pipeline Technician | Lead Field Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 33% | Bachelor's Degree, 45% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between pipeline technicians' and lead field technicians' demographics:
| Pipeline Technician | Lead Field Technician | |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 95.7% Female, 4.3% | Male, 87.2% Female, 12.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.6% Unknown, 5.7% Hispanic or Latino, 17.0% Asian, 10.4% White, 56.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0% | Black or African American, 9.7% Unknown, 5.7% Hispanic or Latino, 17.0% Asian, 10.4% White, 56.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |