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Product manager vs technician

The differences between product managers and technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 8-10 years to become a product manager, becoming a technician takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a product manager has an average salary of $111,729, which is higher than the $38,045 average annual salary of a technician.

The top three skills for a product manager include product management, QA and product strategy. The most important skills for a technician are patients, customer service, and patient care.

Product manager vs technician overview

Product ManagerTechnician
Yearly salary$111,729$38,045
Hourly rate$53.72$18.29
Growth rate10%1%
Number of jobs125,678596,842
Job satisfaction52
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 72%Bachelor's Degree, 32%
Average age3940
Years of experience102

What does a product manager do?

A product manager is responsible for ensuring product development, providing the best marketing strategies, and effectively handling the sales and marketing team. Product managers' duties include monitoring the market trends and conditions, identifying business opportunities and plan initiatives, and collaborating the product launch process with the appropriate departments. A product manager is also responsible for generating ideas on improving product features, determining timetables and reasonable pricing, and analyzing product sales. A product manager must have excellent strategic and decision-making skills to contribute to its growth and profitability.

What does a technician do?

Technicians are skilled professionals who primarily work with technology in different industries. They are knowledgeable about the technical aspects of the various items they work with. They are usually working with electricity or with technological advancements. Technicians may be assigned to do the construction of equipment or materials related to their field of study. They may also be assigned to conduct diagnostics and other maintenance activities to ensure that the equipment works properly. Technicians may also be required to conduct basic repairs in case of problems. It is important that technicians have good analytical skills and decision-making skills.

Product manager vs technician salary

Product managers and technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

Product ManagerTechnician
Average salary$111,729$38,045
Salary rangeBetween $81,000 And $152,000Between $24,000 And $58,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CASan Jose, CA
Highest paying stateCaliforniaHawaii
Best paying companyMetaMicrosoft
Best paying industryRetailTelecommunication

Differences between product manager and technician education

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

Product ManagerTechnician
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 72%Bachelor's Degree, 32%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeUniversity of Georgia-

Product manager vs technician demographics

Here are the differences between product managers' and technicians' demographics:

Product ManagerTechnician
Average age3940
Gender ratioMale, 65.3% Female, 34.7%Male, 75.2% Female, 24.8%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 3.0% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 8.7% Asian, 8.2% White, 74.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%Black or African American, 9.4% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 19.4% Asian, 4.9% White, 61.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage10%2%

Differences between product manager and technician duties and responsibilities

Product manager example responsibilities.

  • Lead collaborative efforts within the PMO, vendors, customers, and internal stakeholders.
  • Manage developers accountable for coding, database development, UI implementation, and system architecture.
  • Manage inventory service levels / overstocks /defective inventory and supplier buy-in opportunities to maximize ROI.
  • Lead customization of the company's administrative SaaS software solution by defining features and functionality for internal/external stakeholder teams.
  • Lead weekly meetings between engineering, sales/marketing, and QA departments to facilitate communication, collaboration and resolution of product issues.
  • Handle design and specification of administration system requirements to efficiently manage, operate, and support client API configurations and sessions.
  • Show more

Technician example responsibilities.

  • Achieve multiple ASE certifications within first year of employment.
  • Implement and manage UHF radio base stations, repeaters, and command network, effectively linking all regional headquarters.
  • Manage telecommunications installation and repair for hospital Nortel network.
  • Maintain numerous automate scripts to assist in managing Linux systems.
  • Manage, troubleshot and repair multiple wireless technologies including fiber optic transmission switches.
  • Install peripherals including printers, fax machines, scanners, and smartphones.
  • Show more

Product manager vs technician skills

Common product manager skills
  • Product Management, 11%
  • QA, 5%
  • Product Strategy, 5%
  • Project Management, 4%
  • Market Research, 4%
  • User Stories, 4%
Common technician skills
  • Patients, 16%
  • Customer Service, 14%
  • Patient Care, 8%
  • Hand Tools, 6%
  • Diagnosis, 5%
  • Preventative Maintenance, 4%

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