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Product engineering technician vs product engineer

The differences between product engineering technicians and product engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a product engineering technician, becoming a product engineer takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a product engineer has an average salary of $89,645, which is higher than the $88,802 average annual salary of a product engineering technician.

The top three skills for a product engineering technician include troubleshoot, product development and test procedures. The most important skills for a product engineer are CAD, product design, and project management.

Product engineering technician vs product engineer overview

Product Engineering TechnicianProduct Engineer
Yearly salary$88,802$89,645
Hourly rate$42.69$43.10
Growth rate3%2%
Number of jobs125,268157,888
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 43%Bachelor's Degree, 74%
Average age4541
Years of experience46

Product engineering technician vs product engineer salary

Product engineering technicians and product engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Product Engineering TechnicianProduct Engineer
Average salary$88,802$89,645
Salary rangeBetween $67,000 And $116,000Between $68,000 And $118,000
Highest paying CityFremont, CASan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateMarylandCalifornia
Best paying companyAppleMeta
Best paying industryTechnologyTechnology

Differences between product engineering technician and product engineer education

There are a few differences between a product engineering technician and a product engineer in terms of educational background:

Product Engineering TechnicianProduct Engineer
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 43%Bachelor's Degree, 74%
Most common majorElectrical EngineeringMechanical Engineering
Most common collegePurdue UniversityMichigan Technological University

Product engineering technician vs product engineer demographics

Here are the differences between product engineering technicians' and product engineers' demographics:

Product Engineering TechnicianProduct Engineer
Average age4541
Gender ratioMale, 84.6% Female, 15.4%Male, 87.8% Female, 12.2%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 9.0% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 15.8% Asian, 11.5% White, 58.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%Black or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 17.0% White, 67.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%
LGBT Percentage6%5%

Differences between product engineering technician and product engineer duties and responsibilities

Product engineering technician example responsibilities.

  • Manage and distribute cad standards to contributing design consultants and assist with any design issues as necessary.
  • Design development and bill of materials in accordance with ISO standards.
  • Function as a resource for team members to analyze and troubleshoot issues for new and existing customers.
  • Standardize test execution in accordance with ANSI, ASME, SAE, ISO, and European test standards.
  • Test and calibrate metrology equipment including but not limit to oscilloscopes, multimeters, ESD certify tables/equipment, and standardize tools.
  • Communicate with military officials and research material on GPS receivers and satellites.

Product engineer example responsibilities.

  • Lead team to achieve project objectives and report results to Sr. Management.
  • Manage outsourced $500k mix mode voice security IC development.
  • Manage various EHS activities at the Fremont, California facility.
  • Manage coordination of APQP, component timing, and technical resource allocation for commercial issues.
  • Manage the manufacturing of defense and aerospace electro-mechanical print circuit boards from prototype to production level.
  • Sketch concepts (Creo), coordinate prototype builds, provide assembly instructions and troubleshoot build issues.
  • Show more

Product engineering technician vs product engineer skills

Common product engineering technician skills
  • Troubleshoot, 8%
  • Product Development, 6%
  • Test Procedures, 5%
  • Test Equipment, 5%
  • Data Collection, 5%
  • Product Quality, 4%
Common product engineer skills
  • CAD, 6%
  • Product Design, 5%
  • Project Management, 4%
  • C++, 4%
  • Solidworks, 3%
  • Product Development, 3%

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