Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between reliability technicians and technical testing engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-12 months to become a reliability technician, becoming a technical testing engineer takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a technical testing engineer has an average salary of $88,367, 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 a technical testing engineer are test results, schematics, and test procedures.
| Reliability Technician | Technical Testing Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $50,168 | $88,367 |
| Hourly rate | $24.12 | $42.48 |
| Growth rate | - | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 38,743 | 100,815 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 48% | Associate Degree, 47% |
| Average age | 50 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 4 |
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.
A technical testing engineer is responsible for inspecting and reporting the quality of products across the production cycle. You will thoroughly check procedures, materials, and electrical and mechanical systems to produce high-quality products for customers. Your main job is to test various components and features of the product to identify and resolve technical issues. Other duties include organizing and conducting training for junior team members, creating test environments, and identifying the root cause of technical issues.
Reliability technicians and technical testing engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Reliability Technician | Technical Testing Engineer | |
| Average salary | $50,168 | $88,367 |
| Salary range | Between $37,000 And $67,000 | Between $62,000 And $125,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Issaquah, WA |
| Highest paying state | Hawaii | Washington |
| Best paying company | Apple | Western Digital |
| Best paying industry | Automotive | Automotive |
There are a few differences between a reliability technician and a technical testing engineer in terms of educational background:
| Reliability Technician | Technical Testing Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 48% | Associate Degree, 47% |
| 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 technical testing engineers' demographics:
| Reliability Technician | Technical Testing Engineer | |
| Average age | 50 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 88.1% Female, 11.9% | Male, 89.7% Female, 10.3% |
| 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, 4.9% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 12.0% Asian, 11.8% White, 67.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 4% |