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The differences between process control technicians and senior 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 a senior engineering technician. Additionally, a senior engineering technician has an average salary of $88,615, 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 a senior engineering technician are java, SR, and emerging technologies.
| Process Control Technician | Senior Engineering Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $52,452 | $88,615 |
| Hourly rate | $25.22 | $42.60 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 90,615 | 94,734 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 41% | Bachelor's Degree, 47% |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
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.
A Senior Engineering Technician uses the technical principles of engineering to create and develop a project or product. They also provide technical assistance to professional engineering staff on special projects.
Process control technicians and senior engineering technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Process Control Technician | Senior Engineering Technician | |
| Average salary | $52,452 | $88,615 |
| Salary range | Between $40,000 And $67,000 | Between $63,000 And $123,000 |
| Highest paying City | Odessa, TX | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Maryland | Idaho |
| Best paying company | Stanford University | CrowdStrike |
| Best paying industry | Automotive | Energy |
There are a few differences between a process control technician and a senior engineering technician in terms of educational background:
| Process Control Technician | Senior Engineering Technician | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 41% | Bachelor's Degree, 47% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Purdue University | Purdue University |
Here are the differences between process control technicians' and senior engineering technicians' demographics:
| Process Control Technician | Senior Engineering Technician | |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 81.1% Female, 18.9% | Male, 88.5% Female, 11.5% |
| 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, 8.9% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 15.6% Asian, 11.3% White, 58.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |