Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between service technicians and general service technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-12 months to become a service technician, becoming a general service technician takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a service technician has an average salary of $40,379, which is higher than the $28,048 average annual salary of a general service technician.
The top three skills for a service technician include plumbing, customer service and preventative maintenance. The most important skills for a general service technician are customer service, maintenance services, and strong customer service.
| Service Technician | General Service Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $40,379 | $28,048 |
| Hourly rate | $19.41 | $13.48 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 1% |
| Number of jobs | 254,533 | 163,387 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 29% | High School Diploma, 42% |
| Average age | 44 | 40 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 4 |
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.
General service technicians are skilled employees who are responsible for performing maintenance duties for automobiles and other light vehicles. These technicians are required to interact with customers to discuss cost estimates for performing automotive maintenance services. They must conduct visual vehicle inspections and perform any necessary repairs or replacement of automotive parts. They are required to be skillful in operating machines that mount and balance the tires of vehicles. General service technicians must also check the electrical systems of vehicles and should know how to install car batteries.
Service technicians and general service technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Service Technician | General Service Technician | |
| Average salary | $40,379 | $28,048 |
| Salary range | Between $28,000 And $57,000 | Between $21,000 And $35,000 |
| Highest paying City | Richmond, CA | Cupertino, CA |
| Highest paying state | Hawaii | Alaska |
| Best paying company | IBM | All American Group |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Automotive |
There are a few differences between a service technician and a general service technician in terms of educational background:
| Service Technician | General Service Technician | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 29% | High School Diploma, 42% |
| Most common major | Business | Automotive Technology |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between service technicians' and general service technicians' demographics:
| Service Technician | General Service Technician | |
| Average age | 44 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 89.2% Female, 10.8% | Male, 94.5% Female, 5.5% |
| 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, 10.0% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 19.2% Asian, 5.1% White, 60.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 1% | 2% |