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The differences between professional technicians and information technology/support 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 professional technician and an information technology/support technician. Additionally, a professional technician has an average salary of $81,726, which is higher than the $45,591 average annual salary of an information technology/support technician.
The top three skills for a professional technician include customer service, cloud and project management. The most important skills for an information technology/support technician are customer service, troubleshoot, and computer system.
| Professional Technician | Information Technology/Support Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $81,726 | $45,591 |
| Hourly rate | $39.29 | $21.92 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 123,659 | 161,748 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 51% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A professional technician is responsible for handling the complexities of technical and mechanical systems, repair defective components, and recommend technical solutions to enhance the company's productivity and efficiency in delivering high-quality deliverables. Professional technicians must be highly skilled in analyzing schematics and blueprints to assemble components and perform troubleshooting. They also manage the adequacy of inventories, create purchase requests, and identify costs and expenses for repairs and installations. A professional technician must be highly communicative and organization, especially in handling tasks with utmost adherence to safety protocols and regulations.
An information technology (IT) support technician is an individual who is responsible for providing support and troubleshoots software and hardware problems faced by customers. As for larger organizations that have their own IT department, technicians must work together internally with their IT staff members. IT support technicians are involved in inspecting and resolving minor local area network and wireless network issues, which include TCP/IP, DHCP, and VPN. They are also required to obtain an associate's degree in computer science or related field.
Professional technicians and information technology/support technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Professional Technician | Information Technology/Support Technician | |
| Average salary | $81,726 | $45,591 |
| Salary range | Between $64,000 And $104,000 | Between $31,000 And $66,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Pennsylvania |
| Best paying company | Microsoft | Microsoft |
| Best paying industry | Energy | Technology |
There are a few differences between a professional technician and an information technology/support technician in terms of educational background:
| Professional Technician | Information Technology/Support Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 51% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between professional technicians' and information technology/support technicians' demographics:
| Professional Technician | Information Technology/Support Technician | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 72.1% Female, 27.9% | Male, 85.4% Female, 14.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.3% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.0% Asian, 12.8% White, 54.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 10.7% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.7% Asian, 13.2% White, 54.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |