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The differences between service engineers and technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a service engineer, becoming a technician takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a service engineer has an average salary of $87,151, which is higher than the $38,045 average annual salary of a technician.
The top three skills for a service engineer include customer service, infrastructure and cloud. The most important skills for a technician are patients, customer service, and patient care.
| Service Engineer | Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $87,151 | $38,045 |
| Hourly rate | $41.90 | $18.29 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 1% |
| Number of jobs | 143,806 | 596,842 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 2 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 57% | Bachelor's Degree, 32% |
| Average age | 41 | 40 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 2 |
A service engineer is responsible for assisting the customers' concerns regarding the products and services offered by the company through technical support solutions. Service engineers conduct preventive maintenance, upgrade systems to boost optimal performance, create product manuals, record the occurring issues, perform adjustments on the systems infrastructure, identify business opportunities to generate more revenues, and analyze current market trends to meet client demands. A service engineer must have excellent communication skills, including extensive knowledge of the technology industry and network systems.
Technicians are skilled professionals who primarily work with technology in different industries. They are knowledgeable about the technical aspects of the various items they work with. They are usually working with electricity or with technological advancements. Technicians may be assigned to do the construction of equipment or materials related to their field of study. They may also be assigned to conduct diagnostics and other maintenance activities to ensure that the equipment works properly. Technicians may also be required to conduct basic repairs in case of problems. It is important that technicians have good analytical skills and decision-making skills.
Service engineers and technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Service Engineer | Technician | |
| Average salary | $87,151 | $38,045 |
| Salary range | Between $62,000 And $122,000 | Between $24,000 And $58,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Jose, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | The Citadel | Microsoft |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Telecommunication |
There are a few differences between a service engineer and a technician in terms of educational background:
| Service Engineer | Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 57% | Bachelor's Degree, 32% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Business |
| Most common college | Michigan Technological University | - |
Here are the differences between service engineers' and technicians' demographics:
| Service Engineer | Technician | |
| Average age | 41 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 91.8% Female, 8.2% | Male, 75.2% Female, 24.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.3% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 8.9% Asian, 13.2% White, 69.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | Black or African American, 9.4% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 19.4% Asian, 4.9% White, 61.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 2% |