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The differences between professional engineers and engineering technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a professional engineer, becoming an engineering technician takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a professional engineer has an average salary of $86,348, which is higher than the $60,273 average annual salary of an engineering technician.
The top three skills for a professional engineer include civil engineering, project management and PE. The most important skills for an engineering technician are technical support, data collection, and test equipment.
| Professional Engineer | Engineering Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $86,348 | $60,273 |
| Hourly rate | $41.51 | $28.98 |
| Growth rate | 7% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 74,009 | 111,343 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 77% | Bachelor's Degree, 46% |
| Average age | 41 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 4 |
A professional engineer specializes in designing and developing systems and structures through different principles. Although their duties will vary upon their industry of employment, it typically includes performing site assessments and examinations, studying the purpose and goals of the project, developing plans and guidelines, monitoring the progress of operations, and resolving issues and concerns promptly and efficiently. They may work together with architects and senior engineers, liaise with clients or contractors, and perform regular site inspections. Furthermore, a professional engineer must implement safety protocols and regulations to maintain a safe and efficient work environment.
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.
Professional engineers and engineering technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Professional Engineer | Engineering Technician | |
| Average salary | $86,348 | $60,273 |
| Salary range | Between $63,000 And $118,000 | Between $37,000 And $96,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | Washington |
| Best paying company | Bayer | Western Digital |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Technology |
There are a few differences between a professional engineer and an engineering technician in terms of educational background:
| Professional Engineer | Engineering Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 77% | Bachelor's Degree, 46% |
| Most common major | Civil Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Purdue University |
Here are the differences between professional engineers' and engineering technicians' demographics:
| Professional Engineer | Engineering Technician | |
| Average age | 41 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 87.5% Female, 12.5% | Male, 85.9% Female, 14.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.0% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 11.7% Asian, 12.6% White, 66.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | 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 | 5% | 6% |