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The differences between professional technicians and technician support tiers 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 technician support tier. Additionally, a professional technician has an average salary of $81,726, which is higher than the $54,889 average annual salary of a technician support tier.
The top three skills for a professional technician include customer service, cloud and project management. The most important skills for a technician support tier are customer service, technical support, and phone calls.
| Professional Technician | Technician Support Tier | |
| Yearly salary | $81,726 | $54,889 |
| Hourly rate | $39.29 | $26.39 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 123,659 | 109,671 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 37% |
| 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.
A technician support tier focuses on providing technical support to clients or employees within a company. Typically working in a team setting, a technician support tier addresses technical problems and troubleshoots to identify the root of the issues and perform necessary corrective measures or repairs. Their responsibilities also revolve around responding to inquiries, answering calls and correspondence, conducting regular maintenance of systems and networks, maintaining records of all transactions, and supporting software and networks. Furthermore, it is essential to coordinate with all team members while adhering to the company's policies and regulations.
Professional technicians and technician support tiers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Professional Technician | Technician Support Tier | |
| Average salary | $81,726 | $54,889 |
| Salary range | Between $64,000 And $104,000 | Between $38,000 And $78,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Benicia, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | New York |
| Best paying company | Microsoft | Scantron |
| Best paying industry | Energy | Technology |
There are a few differences between a professional technician and a technician support tier in terms of educational background:
| Professional Technician | Technician Support Tier | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 37% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Business |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between professional technicians' and technician support tiers' demographics:
| Professional Technician | Technician Support Tier | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 72.1% Female, 27.9% | Male, 73.1% Female, 26.9% |
| 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, 11.6% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.5% Asian, 10.5% White, 55.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |