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Senior data technician vs data engineer

The differences between senior data technicians and data 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 senior data technician, becoming a data engineer takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a data engineer has an average salary of $109,675, which is higher than the $89,734 average annual salary of a senior data technician.

The top three skills for a senior data technician include emerging technologies, data management and SQL. The most important skills for a data engineer are python, java, and cloud.

Senior data technician vs data engineer overview

Senior Data TechnicianData Engineer
Yearly salary$89,734$109,675
Hourly rate$43.14$52.73
Growth rate7%21%
Number of jobs79,151303,105
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 49%Bachelor's Degree, 65%
Average age3839
Years of experience124

Senior data technician vs data engineer salary

Senior data technicians and data engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Senior Data TechnicianData Engineer
Average salary$89,734$109,675
Salary rangeBetween $52,000 And $153,000Between $80,000 And $149,000
Highest paying City-San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state-California
Best paying company-The Citadel
Best paying industry-Technology

Differences between senior data technician and data engineer education

There are a few differences between a senior data technician and a data engineer in terms of educational background:

Senior Data TechnicianData Engineer
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 49%Bachelor's Degree, 65%
Most common majorBusinessComputer Science
Most common collegeStanford UniversityCalifornia State University - Long Beach

Senior data technician vs data engineer demographics

Here are the differences between senior data technicians' and data engineers' demographics:

Senior Data TechnicianData Engineer
Average age3839
Gender ratioMale, 58.3% Female, 41.7%Male, 81.5% Female, 18.5%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 9.4% Unknown, 5.7% Hispanic or Latino, 16.6% Asian, 10.5% White, 56.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%Black or African American, 4.3% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 8.0% Asian, 30.1% White, 52.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage8%8%

Differences between senior data technician and data engineer duties and responsibilities

Senior data technician example responsibilities.

  • Manage clinical trials by gathering data, monitoring adverse events, screening patients for eligibility and scheduling patients per protocol.
  • Prepare data and update databases with information from QC checks, audits, data change forms, and site monitoring.
  • Implement action plans including performing require upgrades and installation of PC's and require peripheral equipment.
  • Manage clinical trials by gathering data, monitoring adverse events, screening patients for eligibility and scheduling patients per protocol.
  • Coordinate daily scrum meeting with project team members helping to facilitate communication, maximize productivity and resolve issues early.

Data engineer example responsibilities.

  • Used SQOOP to import the data from RDBMS to HDFS to achieve the reliability of data.
  • Develop automation scripts in python to automate the test, analyze, plot and report the results.
  • Used Linux shell scripts to automate the build process, and to perform regular jobs like file transfers between different hosts.
  • Increase audit efficiency by developing SAS programs to automate manual testing procedures.
  • Used Teradata database management system to manage the warehousing operations and parallel processing.
  • Configure and manage JobScope ERP system for a make-to-order/make-to-stock design and manufacturing environment.
  • Show more

Senior data technician vs data engineer skills

Common senior data technician skills
  • Emerging Technologies, 23%
  • Data Management, 10%
  • SQL, 10%
  • Troubleshoot, 8%
  • Data Collection, 7%
  • Data Processing, 7%
Common data engineer skills
  • Python, 12%
  • Java, 9%
  • Cloud, 5%
  • ETL, 5%
  • Scala, 4%
  • Kafka, 4%

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