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The differences between professional technicians and technical specialists 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 a technical specialist. Additionally, a technical specialist has an average salary of $88,773, which is higher than the $81,726 average annual salary of a professional technician.
The top three skills for a professional technician include customer service, cloud and project management. The most important skills for a technical specialist are customer service, technical support, and patients.
| Professional Technician | Technical Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $81,726 | $88,773 |
| Hourly rate | $39.29 | $42.68 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 123,659 | 121,151 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 57% |
| 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.
The role of technical specialists is to provide technical support for applications and programs to staff members and customers within an organization. They train staff and customers on products and apps and offer advice on the best practices for utilizing technical programs and applications. They also design training materials to teach other staff members the most effective methods of using its technology. It is also their job to reduce company costs by looking for ways to improve productivity and lessen expenses.
Professional technicians and technical specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Professional Technician | Technical Specialist | |
| Average salary | $81,726 | $88,773 |
| Salary range | Between $64,000 And $104,000 | Between $62,000 And $126,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | California | Delaware |
| Best paying company | Microsoft | Finnegan Henderson Farabow Garrett & Dunner |
| Best paying industry | Energy | Technology |
There are a few differences between a professional technician and a technical specialist in terms of educational background:
| Professional Technician | Technical Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 57% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Business |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between professional technicians' and technical specialists' demographics:
| Professional Technician | Technical Specialist | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 72.1% Female, 27.9% | Male, 71.2% Female, 28.8% |
| 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, 10.8% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.3% Asian, 12.5% White, 54.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |