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The differences between senior instrument technicians and engineering technician leads 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 engineering technician lead. Additionally, an engineering technician lead has an average salary of $107,373, which is higher than the $80,934 average annual salary of a senior instrument technician.
The top three skills for a senior instrument technician include control systems, HMI and HVAC. The most important skills for an engineering technician lead are java, python, and C++.
| Senior Instrument Technician | Engineering Technician Lead | |
| Yearly salary | $80,934 | $107,373 |
| Hourly rate | $38.91 | $51.62 |
| Growth rate | - | - |
| Number of jobs | 45,526 | 102,504 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 49% | Bachelor's Degree, 56% |
| 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.
Engineering technician leads are technical professionals who lead a team to design and build prototypes of a planned product or equipment. These technician leads are required to provide advice and technical support to the engineering team to resolve technical issues as well as oversee system maintenance and enhancement. They must work with both product development and manufacturing engineers to improve the existing manufacturing processes. Engineering technician leads must also participate in activities related to maintenance and troubleshooting of equipment.
Senior instrument technicians and engineering technician leads have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Instrument Technician | Engineering Technician Lead | |
| Average salary | $80,934 | $107,373 |
| Salary range | Between $55,000 And $117,000 | Between $80,000 And $142,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Palo Alto, CA |
| Highest paying state | - | California |
| Best paying company | - | Meta |
| Best paying industry | - | Technology |
There are a few differences between a senior instrument technician and an engineering technician lead in terms of educational background:
| Senior Instrument Technician | Engineering Technician Lead | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 49% | Bachelor's Degree, 56% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Northeastern University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between senior instrument technicians' and engineering technician leads' demographics:
| Senior Instrument Technician | Engineering Technician Lead | |
| Average age | 50 | 50 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 92.7% Female, 7.3% | Male, 88.9% Female, 11.1% |
| 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% |