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The differences between product technicians and process technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a product technician, becoming a process technician takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a product technician has an average salary of $67,026, which is higher than the $39,462 average annual salary of a process technician.
The top three skills for a product technician include customer service, troubleshoot and product support. The most important skills for a process technician are basic math, patients, and OSHA.
| Product Technician | Process Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $67,026 | $39,462 |
| Hourly rate | $32.22 | $18.97 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 99,755 | 74,367 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 3 |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 33% | Bachelor's Degree, 36% |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 4 |
Product technicians are skilled professionals who are responsible for evaluating manufactured goods to ensure quality and functionality before they are marketed to the general public. These technicians are required to perform equipment setup and adjustments while conducting minor preventative maintenance tasks to test for safety and productivity before they are put into production. By using their technical knowledge, they must identify problems such as mechanical issues and safety issues while providing potential solutions to the issues. Product technicians must also ensure that finished products conform to specifications and codes.
A process technician is responsible for managing the equipment and machinery used for various industries, such as manufacturing and engineering. Process technicians must have a strong knowledge of the mechanical industry, especially on operating certain equipment types and making adjustments on its features as needed, depending on the needs of the operation. They also run diagnostic tests to check a machine's working condition to ensure that it's free of any inconsistencies. A process technician also helps develop structure methods by communicating with the technical team and escalating all defective findings to the supervisor.
Product technicians and process technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Product Technician | Process Technician | |
| Average salary | $67,026 | $39,462 |
| Salary range | Between $36,000 And $123,000 | Between $30,000 And $51,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Santa Clara, CA |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | Rhode Island |
| Best paying company | PayPal | HP |
| Best paying industry | - | Technology |
There are a few differences between a product technician and a process technician in terms of educational background:
| Product Technician | Process Technician | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 33% | Bachelor's Degree, 36% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Purdue University |
Here are the differences between product technicians' and process technicians' demographics:
| Product Technician | Process Technician | |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 85.8% Female, 14.2% | Male, 73.2% Female, 26.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.4% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.6% Asian, 7.5% White, 60.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | Black or African American, 9.4% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.5% Asian, 7.6% White, 61.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |