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The differences between senior instrument technicians and assembly & test 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 senior instrument technician and an assembly & test technician. Additionally, a senior instrument technician has an average salary of $80,934, which is higher than the $38,774 average annual salary of an assembly & test technician.
The top three skills for a senior instrument technician include control systems, HMI and HVAC. The most important skills for an assembly & test technician are mechanical assembly, aerospace, and dexterity.
| Senior Instrument Technician | Assembly & Test Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $80,934 | $38,774 |
| Hourly rate | $38.91 | $18.64 |
| Growth rate | - | - |
| Number of jobs | 45,526 | 64,354 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 49% | Associate Degree, 47% |
| Average age | 50 | 50 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
As a senior instrument technician, you need to do general maintenance work on the equipment generation and design process of the company. You need to have excellent mapping and recording skills so that you can measure and record the equipment reading. As a senior instrument technician, you need to do your work precisely. This is because you are in the field of measurement and control.
You will also have to inspect repairing tests as well as record changes in the industrial environment of the company. You need to have great analytical skills so that you can solve complex instrumental problems and help in the overall development of the company system. A minimum of an associate's degree is required for this job.
An assembly & test technician works at manufacturing facilities where they are in charge of assembling product components and subjecting them to various tests, ensuring compliance with standards and regulations. Although the extent of their responsibilities depends on their organization of employment, it usually includes understanding diagrams and project requirements, establishing and implementing test parameters, operating tools and equipment, maintaining records, and producing detailed reports. There are also times when they must coordinate with quality control teams, working together in a joint effort to improve production processes and results.
Senior instrument technicians and assembly & test technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Instrument Technician | Assembly & Test Technician | |
| Average salary | $80,934 | $38,774 |
| Salary range | Between $55,000 And $117,000 | Between $30,000 And $49,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Beverly, MA |
| Highest paying state | - | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | - | BWX Technologies |
| Best paying industry | - | Transportation |
There are a few differences between a senior instrument technician and an assembly & test technician in terms of educational background:
| Senior Instrument Technician | Assembly & Test Technician | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 49% | Associate Degree, 47% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Northeastern University | Northeastern University |
Here are the differences between senior instrument technicians' and assembly & test technicians' demographics:
| Senior Instrument Technician | Assembly & Test Technician | |
| Average age | 50 | 50 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 92.7% Female, 7.3% | Male, 85.4% Female, 14.6% |
| 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% |