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The differences between set up technicians and technical specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a set up technician and a technical specialist. Additionally, a technical specialist has an average salary of $88,773, which is higher than the $36,486 average annual salary of a set up technician.
The top three skills for a set up technician include hand tools, CNC and safety procedures. The most important skills for a technical specialist are customer service, technical support, and patients.
| Set Up Technician | Technical Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $36,486 | $88,773 |
| Hourly rate | $17.54 | $42.68 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 53,072 | 121,151 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 39% | Bachelor's Degree, 57% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
Set up technicians are skilled employees who assemble and disassemble manufacturing machines as well as perform preventative maintenance to ensure that the manufacturing firm can produce high-quality products. These technicians must inspect products so that they can locate malfunctions in machine operations and then inform their supervisor about the repairs needed. They must observe production equipment to ensure its correct operation and collaborate with the engineering team to adjust the equipment when needed. Set up technicians must also assist in teaching new operators about the firm's standard operating procedures of production equipment.
The role of technical specialists is to provide technical support for applications and programs to staff members and customers within an organization. They train staff and customers on products and apps and offer advice on the best practices for utilizing technical programs and applications. They also design training materials to teach other staff members the most effective methods of using its technology. It is also their job to reduce company costs by looking for ways to improve productivity and lessen expenses.
Set up technicians and technical specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Set Up Technician | Technical Specialist | |
| Average salary | $36,486 | $88,773 |
| Salary range | Between $28,000 And $46,000 | Between $62,000 And $126,000 |
| Highest paying City | Manchester, NH | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | New York | Delaware |
| Best paying company | Zoetis | Finnegan Henderson Farabow Garrett & Dunner |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Technology |
There are a few differences between a set up technician and a technical specialist in terms of educational background:
| Set Up Technician | Technical Specialist | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 39% | Bachelor's Degree, 57% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between set up technicians' and technical specialists' demographics:
| Set Up Technician | Technical Specialist | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 90.1% Female, 9.9% | Male, 71.2% Female, 28.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.8% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 15.3% Asian, 8.9% White, 59.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 10.8% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.3% Asian, 12.5% White, 54.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |