Process control technician vs engineering technician

The differences between process control technicians and engineering 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 process control technician and an engineering technician. Additionally, an engineering technician has an average salary of $60,273, which is higher than the $52,452 average annual salary of a process control technician.

The top three skills for a process control technician include PLC, control systems and logic controllers. The most important skills for an engineering technician are technical support, data collection, and test equipment.

Process control technician vs engineering technician overview

	Process Control Technician	Engineering Technician
Yearly salary	$52,452	$60,273
Hourly rate	$25.22	$28.98
Growth rate	3%	3%
Number of jobs	90,615	111,343
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 41%	Bachelor's Degree, 46%
Average age	45	45
Years of experience	4	4

What does a process control technician do?

Process control technicians require strong skills in PLC, process control systems, troubleshooting, calibration, and a desire for continuous improvement in addition to other skills. Those who choose this career path will be called to work with automated process control systems and assist in designing, creating, testing, and implementing process control panels.

What does an engineering technician do?

An Engineering Technician's duties vary according to the industry or company, whether mechanical, industrial, civil, agricultural, or more. However, most of the time, the responsibilities often revolve around resolving technical issues, working with and assisting Engineers in building, assembling, designing, gathering and testing data, and conducting more manual activities. Furthermore, Engineering Technicians can specialize and work in various fields after a certain training period, closely mentored or monitored by an engineer or someone with extensive expertise.

Process control technician vs engineering technician salary

Process control technicians and engineering technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Process Control Technician	Engineering Technician
Average salary	$52,452	$60,273
Salary range	Between $40,000 And $67,000	Between $37,000 And $96,000
Highest paying City	Odessa, TX	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	Maryland	Washington
Best paying company	Stanford University	Western Digital
Best paying industry	Automotive	Technology

Differences between process control technician and engineering technician education

There are a few differences between a process control technician and an engineering technician in terms of educational background:

	Process Control Technician	Engineering Technician
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 41%	Bachelor's Degree, 46%
Most common major	Electrical Engineering	Electrical Engineering
Most common college	Purdue University	Purdue University

Process control technician vs engineering technician demographics

Here are the differences between process control technicians' and engineering technicians' demographics:

	Process Control Technician	Engineering Technician
Average age	45	45
Gender ratio	Male, 81.1% Female, 18.9%	Male, 85.9% Female, 14.1%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.5% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 15.3% Asian, 7.5% White, 60.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 9.5% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.7% Asian, 9.2% White, 59.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between process control technician and engineering technician duties and responsibilities

Process control technician example responsibilities.

Spearhead inspection and packaging equipment for pharmaceutical products per FDA regulations to achieve production goals ahead of schedule.
Help develop standard operating procedure and perform safety reviews to meet OSHA standards.
Create safety programs and lead the site in safety training in compliance with OSHA CFR29 regulations.
Direct activities to ensure that workmanship and testing conform to ISO and QS9001 specifications per customer requirements.
Maintain appropriate PLC and computer software/hardware information.
Full knowledge and understanding of an organize ISO manufacturing environment.

Engineering technician example responsibilities.

Used Microsoft SharePoint to manage projects, web base collaboration, alerts and for document management.
Achieve UL certification for thermal overload protection used in motor applications.
Manage equipment database and organize annual equipment calibration require by internal quality control and ISO standards.
Manage and distribute cad standards to contributing design consultants and assist with any design issues as necessary.
Maintain engineering lab equipment: troubleshoot and repair any faulty electronic or mechanical malfunctions, and calibrate test equipment.
Specialize in software and hardware engineering to military standards and project management of DoD contracts.

Process control technician vs engineering technician skills

Common process control technician skills

PLC, 15%
Control Systems, 6%
Logic Controllers, 4%
Continuous Improvement, 4%
HMI, 4%
Data Entry, 3%

Common engineering technician skills

Technical Support, 5%
Data Collection, 4%
Test Equipment, 4%
Asphalt, 4%
Construction Projects, 4%
Construction Materials, 4%

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Process Control Technician
Process Control Technician vs Engineering Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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