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The differences between senior instrument technicians and technical testing 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 instrument technician, becoming a technical testing engineer takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a technical testing engineer has an average salary of $88,367, 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 a technical testing engineer are test results, schematics, and test procedures.
| Senior Instrument Technician | Technical Testing Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $80,934 | $88,367 |
| Hourly rate | $38.91 | $42.48 |
| Growth rate | - | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 45,526 | 100,815 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 49% | Associate Degree, 47% |
| Average age | 50 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 4 |
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.
A technical testing engineer is responsible for inspecting and reporting the quality of products across the production cycle. You will thoroughly check procedures, materials, and electrical and mechanical systems to produce high-quality products for customers. Your main job is to test various components and features of the product to identify and resolve technical issues. Other duties include organizing and conducting training for junior team members, creating test environments, and identifying the root cause of technical issues.
Senior instrument technicians and technical testing engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Instrument Technician | Technical Testing Engineer | |
| Average salary | $80,934 | $88,367 |
| Salary range | Between $55,000 And $117,000 | Between $62,000 And $125,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Issaquah, WA |
| Highest paying state | - | Washington |
| Best paying company | - | Western Digital |
| Best paying industry | - | Automotive |
There are a few differences between a senior instrument technician and a technical testing engineer in terms of educational background:
| Senior Instrument Technician | Technical Testing Engineer | |
| 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 technical testing engineers' demographics:
| Senior Instrument Technician | Technical Testing Engineer | |
| Average age | 50 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 92.7% Female, 7.3% | Male, 89.7% Female, 10.3% |
| 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, 4.9% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 12.0% Asian, 11.8% White, 67.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 4% |