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The differences between reliability technicians and instrument 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 reliability technician and an instrument technician. Additionally, an instrument technician has an average salary of $56,918, which is higher than the $50,168 average annual salary of a reliability technician.
The top three skills for a reliability technician include troubleshoot, preventative maintenance and hand tools. The most important skills for an instrument technician are patients, surgical instruments, and cleanliness.
| Reliability Technician | Instrument Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $50,168 | $56,918 |
| Hourly rate | $24.12 | $27.36 |
| Growth rate | - | - |
| Number of jobs | 38,743 | 45,965 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 48% | Associate Degree, 48% |
| Average age | 50 | 50 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
Reliability technicians are responsible for helping enhance quality, improve safety, and implement the constant development of projects to maximize output. They collaborate with engineers and lead maintenance technicians to do continuing the system development. Their duties include giving technical assistance and input in engineering project management services. Also, they systematize and direct work assigned to make certain immediate feedback to repairs, fast identification of faults, and prompt action to repairs. Additionally, they plan, establish, and coordinate work by contractors and other associates.
An instrument technician is an individual who is responsible for testing, repairing, and inspecting all manufacturing equipment to ensure proper operations of the machines. Instrument technicians collaborate with engineers to develop and produce equipment design and provide advice to process technicians about equipment operation. They remove defective equipment so that they can decontaminate and replace the damaged ones with new machines. They are also required by their employer to obtain certification in the field of instrumentation technology.
Reliability technicians and instrument technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Reliability Technician | Instrument Technician | |
| Average salary | $50,168 | $56,918 |
| Salary range | Between $37,000 And $67,000 | Between $38,000 And $83,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Palo Alto, CA |
| Highest paying state | Hawaii | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | Apple | Phillips 66 |
| Best paying industry | Automotive | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a reliability technician and an instrument technician in terms of educational background:
| Reliability Technician | Instrument Technician | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 48% | Associate Degree, 48% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | California State University - Long Beach | Northeastern University |
Here are the differences between reliability technicians' and instrument technicians' demographics:
| Reliability Technician | Instrument Technician | |
| Average age | 50 | 50 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 88.1% Female, 11.9% | Male, 83.4% Female, 16.6% |
| 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% |