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The differences between service technicians and field service 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 service technician and a field service technician. Additionally, a field service technician has an average salary of $54,339, which is higher than the $40,379 average annual salary of a service technician.
The top three skills for a service technician include plumbing, customer service and preventative maintenance. The most important skills for a field service technician are customer service, preventative maintenance, and customer satisfaction.
| Service Technician | Field Service Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $40,379 | $54,339 |
| Hourly rate | $19.41 | $26.12 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 254,533 | 167,298 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 29% | Associate Degree, 40% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
Service technicians are assigned in the field to address the concerns of their clients. Service technicians are responsible for the installation, maintenance, or repair of different units or items related to their company's products or services. They should be familiar with their company's products so that they can properly install, maintain, or repair them. They conduct diagnostics and analysis to assess the condition of the unit they are servicing and properly address problems. They also do routine maintenance check-ups. Service technicians are expected to be trustworthy, have good analytical skills, and have good decision-making skills.
Field service technicians are skilled professionals who manage the technical needs of their clients outside the company's physical office space. They are usually on the field to visit their clients and check up on clients' equipment. Field service technicians are dispatched to provide technical support. They oversee installations, repairs, or maintenance activities. They ensure that all the work needed is done well. They also conduct diagnostic activities and troubleshooting. Field service technicians also supervise any updating or changes needed to be done in their clients' offices. They are expected to have good analytical skills, communication skills, and highly technical skills.
Service technicians and field service technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Service Technician | Field Service Technician | |
| Average salary | $40,379 | $54,339 |
| Salary range | Between $28,000 And $57,000 | Between $35,000 And $82,000 |
| Highest paying City | Richmond, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Hawaii | California |
| Best paying company | IBM | |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Finance |
There are a few differences between a service technician and a field service technician in terms of educational background:
| Service Technician | Field Service Technician | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 29% | Associate Degree, 40% |
| Most common major | Business | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between service technicians' and field service technicians' demographics:
| Service Technician | Field Service Technician | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 89.2% Female, 10.8% | Male, 92.3% Female, 7.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 5.1% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 15.8% Asian, 1.7% White, 72.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | Black or African American, 4.8% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 16.8% Asian, 1.7% White, 72.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 1% | 1% |