Prototype technician vs electronic test technician

The differences between prototype technicians and electronic test technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a prototype technician and an electronic test technician. Additionally, a prototype technician has an average salary of $45,071, which is higher than the $43,020 average annual salary of an electronic test technician.

The top three skills for a prototype technician include CAD, hand tools and CNC. The most important skills for an electronic test technician are RF, oscilloscopes, and test procedures.

Prototype technician vs electronic test technician overview

	Prototype Technician	Electronic Test Technician
Yearly salary	$45,071	$43,020
Hourly rate	$21.67	$20.68
Growth rate	-	-
Number of jobs	48,310	49,129
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 38%	Associate Degree, 60%
Average age	50	50
Years of experience	12	12

Prototype technician vs electronic test technician salary

Prototype technicians and electronic test technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Prototype Technician	Electronic Test Technician
Average salary	$45,071	$43,020
Salary range	Between $34,000 And $58,000	Between $32,000 And $57,000
Highest paying City	-	Bethesda, MD
Highest paying state	-	Hawaii
Best paying company	-	Sandia National Labs
Best paying industry	-	Energy

Differences between prototype technician and electronic test technician education

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

	Prototype Technician	Electronic Test Technician
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 38%	Associate Degree, 60%
Most common major	Automotive Technology	Electrical Engineering
Most common college	Purdue University	Northeastern University

Prototype technician vs electronic test technician demographics

Here are the differences between prototype technicians' and electronic test technicians' demographics:

	Prototype Technician	Electronic Test Technician
Average age	50	50
Gender ratio	Male, 87.3% Female, 12.7%	Male, 91.0% Female, 9.0%
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, 6.3% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 10.4% Asian, 8.0% White, 70.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%
LGBT Percentage	8%	8%

Differences between prototype technician and electronic test technician duties and responsibilities

Prototype technician example responsibilities.

Manage and distribute cad standards to contributing design consultants and assist with any design issues as necessary.
Wire and solder all connections to FDA standards.
Finish SLA and SLS parts for mold development.
Experience in reading micrometers, calipers, and blueprints.
Assist purchasing department in outside vendor (PCB fabrication) operations
Use precision measuring tools including calipers, gages, and torques.

Electronic test technician example responsibilities.

Manage work load for new equipment builds for PC refresh for end of lease equipment and new user setups.
Key interface for, DOD, NASA, FDA, IPC, and ISO inspections.
Perform software and hardware debugging.
Follow ESD procedures and written safety rules.
Test and troubleshoot complex wire harnesses and panel assemblies.
Test products to adhere to ISO 9000 and FDA regulations.

Prototype technician vs electronic test technician skills

Common prototype technician skills

CAD, 11%
Hand Tools, 10%
CNC, 7%
Prototyping, 6%
Calipers, 6%
Autoclaves, 6%

Common electronic test technician skills

RF, 9%
Oscilloscopes, 8%
Test Procedures, 7%
Test Data, 6%
Hand Tools, 6%
Test Results, 4%

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Prototype Technician
Prototype Technician vs Electronic Test Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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