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The differences between scientists and senior technician specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a scientist and a senior technician specialist. Additionally, a scientist has an average salary of $97,344, which is higher than the $96,650 average annual salary of a senior technician specialist.
The top three skills for a scientist include chemistry, data analysis and patients. The most important skills for a senior technician specialist are patients, customer service, and project management.
| Scientist | Senior Technician Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $97,344 | $96,650 |
| Hourly rate | $46.80 | $46.47 |
| Growth rate | 17% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 62,467 | 56,304 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Average age | 41 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A scientist is responsible for researching and analyzing the nature and complexities of the physical world to identify discoveries that would improve people's lives and ignite scientific knowledge for society. Scientists' duties differ in their different areas of expertise, but all of them must have a broad comprehension of scientific disciplines and methods to support their experiments and investigations. They collect the sample for their research, record findings, create research proposals, and release publications. A scientist must know how to utilize laboratory equipment to support the study and drive results efficiently and accurately.
Senior technician specialists are technicians in the office who specialize in a specific activity or task. They are more tenured than entry-level employees and, at times, given bigger responsibilities than their junior counterparts. They may even be asked to lead specific projects. Senior technician specialists are usually involved in the technical or technological needs of the organization. As such, they should be familiar with the different equipment, fixtures, and infrastructure in the office. They are expected to perform installations, repairs, updates, and maintenance. Senior technician specialists should also be able to provide support to office employees on technical and technological aspects.
Scientists and senior technician specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Scientist | Senior Technician Specialist | |
| Average salary | $97,344 | $96,650 |
| Salary range | Between $67,000 And $140,000 | Between $68,000 And $136,000 |
| Highest paying City | Redwood City, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Washington |
| Best paying company | Airbnb | The Walt Disney Company |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a scientist and a senior technician specialist in terms of educational background:
| Scientist | Senior Technician Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Most common major | Chemistry | Business |
| Most common college | University of Southern California | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between scientists' and senior technician specialists' demographics:
| Scientist | Senior Technician Specialist | |
| Average age | 41 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 56.9% Female, 43.1% | Male, 44.6% Female, 55.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.5% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 9.8% Asian, 26.3% White, 53.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | Black or African American, 10.2% Unknown, 6.3% Hispanic or Latino, 16.9% Asian, 5.9% White, 60.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 12% |