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The differences between process associates and process technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a process associate, becoming a process technician takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a process technician has an average salary of $39,462, which is higher than the $37,954 average annual salary of a process associate.
The top three skills for a process associate include patients, customer service and extraction. The most important skills for a process technician are basic math, patients, and OSHA.
| Process Associate | Process Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $37,954 | $39,462 |
| Hourly rate | $18.25 | $18.97 |
| Growth rate | -5% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 27,408 | 74,367 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 3 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 51% | Bachelor's Degree, 36% |
| Average age | 51 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 4 |
Process Associates are responsible for maintaining, monitoring, and improving the production processes for manufacturing organizations. They are responsible for inspecting existing processes to guide system upgrades, servicing production equipment, maintaining supplies and inventory, and adhering to safety and quality regulations for production processes. Process associates also write production process reports and help to troubleshoot issues pertinent to processes. They must be detailed oriented and possess technical knowledge of mechanical processes. A goof process associate will maintain the smooth running to achieve cost reduction and production rate improvement.
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.
Process associates and process technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Process Associate | Process Technician | |
| Average salary | $37,954 | $39,462 |
| Salary range | Between $22,000 And $63,000 | Between $30,000 And $51,000 |
| Highest paying City | South San Francisco, CA | Santa Clara, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Rhode Island |
| Best paying company | McKinsey & Company Inc | HP |
| Best paying industry | - | Technology |
There are a few differences between a process associate and a process technician in terms of educational background:
| Process Associate | Process Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 51% | Bachelor's Degree, 36% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | Purdue University |
Here are the differences between process associates' and process technicians' demographics:
| Process Associate | Process Technician | |
| Average age | 51 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 43.3% Female, 56.7% | Male, 73.2% Female, 26.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.9% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.7% Asian, 6.6% White, 67.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% | 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 | 7% | 6% |