Production test technician vs engineering technician

The differences between production test technicians and engineering technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-12 months to become a production test technician, becoming an engineering technician takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, an engineering technician has an average salary of $60,273, which is higher than the $41,059 average annual salary of a production test technician.

The top three skills for a production test technician include production test, hand tools and RF. The most important skills for an engineering technician are technical support, data collection, and test equipment.

Production test technician vs engineering technician overview

	Production Test Technician	Engineering Technician
Yearly salary	$41,059	$60,273
Hourly rate	$19.74	$28.98
Growth rate	-	3%
Number of jobs	91,524	111,343
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 57%	Bachelor's Degree, 46%
Average age	50	45
Years of experience	12	4

What does a production test technician do?

Production Test Technicians are responsible for the testing and assembly of manufactured goods before releasing them internally or to the general public. They are involved in running tests in equipment and assemblies, performing instrument calibrations, examining finish products conform with specifications, using statistical methods to identify problems, and providing reports on defects. They work with investors, product developers, and other stakeholders in fixing defects and improving the quality of a product. In testing, they will perform inspections for achieving multipoint safety and efficiency.

What does an engineering technician do?

An Engineering Technician's duties vary according to the industry or company, whether mechanical, industrial, civil, agricultural, or more. However, most of the time, the responsibilities often revolve around resolving technical issues, working with and assisting Engineers in building, assembling, designing, gathering and testing data, and conducting more manual activities. Furthermore, Engineering Technicians can specialize and work in various fields after a certain training period, closely mentored or monitored by an engineer or someone with extensive expertise.

Production test technician vs engineering technician salary

Production test technicians and engineering technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Production Test Technician	Engineering Technician
Average salary	$41,059	$60,273
Salary range	Between $31,000 And $53,000	Between $37,000 And $96,000
Highest paying City	Beverly, MA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	Hawaii	Washington
Best paying company	Sanmina	Western Digital
Best paying industry	Manufacturing	Technology

Differences between production test technician and engineering technician education

There are a few differences between a production test technician and an engineering technician in terms of educational background:

	Production Test Technician	Engineering Technician
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 57%	Bachelor's Degree, 46%
Most common major	Electrical Engineering	Electrical Engineering
Most common college	Northeastern University	Purdue University

Production test technician vs engineering technician demographics

Here are the differences between production test technicians' and engineering technicians' demographics:

	Production Test Technician	Engineering Technician
Average age	50	45
Gender ratio	Male, 91.5% Female, 8.5%	Male, 85.9% Female, 14.1%
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, 9.5% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.7% Asian, 9.2% White, 59.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	8%	6%

Differences between production test technician and engineering technician duties and responsibilities

Production test technician example responsibilities.

Install and manage windows applications for the user, maintain servers and manage help desk operations.
Perform test, troubleshooting and calibration of system PCB's.
Follow stringent FDA and ISO standards for testing and documentation.
Test, troubleshoot and rework a variety of PCB products in production environment.
Task require intimate knowledge of communication standards for both PC"and the test equipment.
Test and troubleshoot motion control systems, PC boards, SMT boards, amplifiers and power supplies.

Engineering technician example responsibilities.

Used Microsoft SharePoint to manage projects, web base collaboration, alerts and for document management.
Achieve UL certification for thermal overload protection used in motor applications.
Manage equipment database and organize annual equipment calibration require by internal quality control and ISO standards.
Manage and distribute cad standards to contributing design consultants and assist with any design issues as necessary.
Maintain engineering lab equipment: troubleshoot and repair any faulty electronic or mechanical malfunctions, and calibrate test equipment.
Specialize in software and hardware engineering to military standards and project management of DoD contracts.

Production test technician vs engineering technician skills

Common production test technician skills

Production Test, 10%
Hand Tools, 9%
RF, 7%
Test Results, 6%
Technical Problems, 5%
Test Procedures, 5%

Common engineering technician skills

Technical Support, 5%
Data Collection, 4%
Test Equipment, 4%
Asphalt, 4%
Construction Projects, 4%
Construction Materials, 4%

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Production Test Technician
Production Test Technician vs Engineering Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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