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The differences between production support technicians and hardware technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a production support technician and a hardware technician. Additionally, a production support technician has an average salary of $57,726, which is higher than the $47,851 average annual salary of a hardware technician.
The top three skills for a production support technician include troubleshoot, POS and SQL. The most important skills for a hardware technician are customer service, technical support, and network printers.
| Production Support Technician | Hardware Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $57,726 | $47,851 |
| Hourly rate | $27.75 | $23.01 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 162,450 | 85,174 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 46% | Bachelor's Degree, 40% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
Production Support Technicians ensure the availability of the materials needed for production. Besides putting preventative maintenance techniques into practice and ensuring that the factory remains safe for each worker, production support technicians also identify faults and troubleshoot where possible. They inspect machinery and update the workers and management about the faults. Also, production support technicians analyze products and performance and then make the right recommendations. Moreover, they ensure that the staff members remain updated about the safety and health regulations.
A hardware technician is typically in charge of providing technical support to clients or employees, ensuring efficiency and client satisfaction. In a company setting, a hardware technician is responsible for performing initial assessments on computer hardware, troubleshooting, diagnosing problems, and providing step by step solutions to solve the issues. They may also perform corrective repairs on problems and conduct regular maintenance checks to ensure the quality of equipment. Furthermore, as a hardware technician, it is essential to maintain an active communication line with staff for a smooth and efficient workflow.
Production support technicians and hardware technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Production Support Technician | Hardware Technician | |
| Average salary | $57,726 | $47,851 |
| Salary range | Between $33,000 And $98,000 | Between $32,000 And $71,000 |
| Highest paying City | Jersey City, NJ | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | Delaware |
| Best paying company | Jefferies | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Technology |
There are a few differences between a production support technician and a hardware technician in terms of educational background:
| Production Support Technician | Hardware Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 46% | Bachelor's Degree, 40% |
| Most common major | Business | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Stanford University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between production support technicians' and hardware technicians' demographics:
| Production Support Technician | Hardware Technician | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 79.2% Female, 20.8% | Male, 90.0% Female, 10.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.9% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.6% Asian, 12.8% White, 53.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 11.3% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.6% Asian, 12.0% White, 55.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |