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The differences between product development technicians and product development engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-12 months to become a product development technician, becoming a product development engineer takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a product development engineer has an average salary of $86,075, which is higher than the $82,950 average annual salary of a product development technician.
The top three skills for a product development technician include R, product development and lab equipment. The most important skills for a product development engineer are CAD, solidworks, and product development.
| Product Development Technician | Product Development Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $82,950 | $86,075 |
| Hourly rate | $39.88 | $41.38 |
| Growth rate | - | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 131,939 | 202,155 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 75% |
| Average age | 50 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 6 |
Product development technicians are responsible for expanding and providing improvement to new products and implementing appropriate tests. They help grow a team framework for the organization. Their duties include arranging oral and written reports for each product development projects and examine their performance. Also, they preserve a clean and neat laboratory area and make sure of the viability of all equipment. Additionally, they create drafts for each product and work instructions documents, as well as install and examine all test equipment for modification.
A Product Development Engineer is responsible for creating and testing new product designs. They collaborate with market researchers to evaluate market needs, existing competition, and potential costs.
Product development technicians and product development engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Product Development Technician | Product Development Engineer | |
| Average salary | $82,950 | $86,075 |
| Salary range | Between $61,000 And $111,000 | Between $64,000 And $113,000 |
| Highest paying City | Austin, TX | Sunnyvale, CA |
| Highest paying state | Texas | California |
| Best paying company | Western Digital | Amazon |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a product development technician and a product development engineer in terms of educational background:
| Product Development Technician | Product Development Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 75% |
| Most common major | Biology | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Purdue University | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between product development technicians' and product development engineers' demographics:
| Product Development Technician | Product Development Engineer | |
| Average age | 50 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 67.5% Female, 32.5% | Male, 86.8% Female, 13.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.3% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 10.4% Asian, 8.0% White, 70.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | Black or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 16.7% White, 67.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 5% |