Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between plant utilities engineers and repair technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a plant utilities engineer and a repair technician. Additionally, a plant utilities engineer has an average salary of $51,200, which is higher than the $41,643 average annual salary of a repair technician.
The top three skills for a plant utilities engineer include ventilation, plant utilities and loaders. The most important skills for a repair technician are customer service, hand tools, and customer satisfaction.
Plant utilities engineers must have basic knowledge of commercial electrical systems and testing equipment, high temperature water distribution, and HVAC control systems. Qualifications will vary depending on the company; they range from a high school diploma or GED to associate degrees in plant utilities technology or completion of a trade school program. Those who choose this career will be expected to maintain and operate the mechanical equipment in a utilities plant.
A repair technician's role focuses on assessing the problem or damage of a device and implementing solutions for it to function again. Although the extent of a technician's tasks will depend on the device or industry of employment, most of it revolves around troubleshooting, providing technical support, installing and writing programs, detaching and re-attaching wirings, welding, and even thoroughly discussing problems and solutions to clients. Furthermore, there are instances when a repair technician must work in a team setting that requires coordination and communication.
Plant utilities engineers and repair technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Plant Utilities Engineer | Repair Technician | |
| Average salary | $51,200 | $41,643 |
| Salary range | Between $35,000 And $74,000 | Between $27,000 And $63,000 |
| Highest paying City | Waipahu, HI | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | Bristol-Myers Squibb | SoCalGas |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a plant utilities engineer and a repair technician in terms of educational background:
| Plant Utilities Engineer | Repair Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 34% | Associate Degree, 38% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between plant utilities engineers' and repair technicians' demographics:
| Plant Utilities Engineer | Repair Technician | |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 88.7% Female, 11.3% | Male, 88.3% Female, 11.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.6% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 14.6% Asian, 5.4% White, 64.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3% | Black or African American, 11.3% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 18.3% Asian, 4.6% White, 60.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 2% | 2% |