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The differences between repair technicians and assistant laboratory technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a repair technician, becoming an assistant laboratory technician takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a repair technician has an average salary of $41,643, which is higher than the $35,556 average annual salary of an assistant laboratory technician.
The top three skills for a repair technician include customer service, hand tools and customer satisfaction. The most important skills for an assistant laboratory technician are patients, ladders, and computer lab.
| Repair Technician | Assistant Laboratory Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $41,643 | $35,556 |
| Hourly rate | $20.02 | $17.09 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 1% |
| Number of jobs | 162,051 | 116,488 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 38% | Bachelor's Degree, 47% |
| Average age | 47 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 12 |
A repair technician's role focuses on assessing the problem or damage of a device and implementing solutions for it to function again. Although the extent of a technician's tasks will depend on the device or industry of employment, most of it revolves around troubleshooting, providing technical support, installing and writing programs, detaching and re-attaching wirings, welding, and even thoroughly discussing problems and solutions to clients. Furthermore, there are instances when a repair technician must work in a team setting that requires coordination and communication.
The primary responsibility of a lab assistant is to help scientists and technologists. Lab assistants are assigned to prepare and monitor tests and experiments in research or medical laboratory. They analyze data and establish reports based on test results. Also, they set up the tools and equipment used in the lab. It is also part of their job to clean the lab rooms--knowledge in lab management, communication skills, attention to detail, and medical-related management.
Repair technicians and assistant laboratory technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Repair Technician | Assistant Laboratory Technician | |
| Average salary | $41,643 | $35,556 |
| Salary range | Between $27,000 And $63,000 | Between $21,000 And $57,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | Manchester, NH |
| Highest paying state | Hawaii | California |
| Best paying company | SoCalGas | Patterson-UTI Energy |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | - |
There are a few differences between a repair technician and an assistant laboratory technician in terms of educational background:
| Repair Technician | Assistant Laboratory Technician | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 38% | Bachelor's Degree, 47% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Biology |
| Most common college | - | University of Maryland - College Park |
Here are the differences between repair technicians' and assistant laboratory technicians' demographics:
| Repair Technician | Assistant Laboratory Technician | |
| Average age | 47 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 88.3% Female, 11.7% | Male, 71.6% Female, 28.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.3% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 18.3% Asian, 4.6% White, 60.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2% | Black or African American, 11.0% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 17.4% Asian, 11.9% White, 53.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 2% | 8% |