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Surfacing technician vs electronic test technician

The differences between surfacing technicians and electronic test 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 surfacing technician and an electronic test technician. Additionally, an electronic test technician has an average salary of $43,020, which is higher than the $37,226 average annual salary of a surfacing technician.

The top three skills for a surfacing technician include circuit board assembly, SMT and safety regulations. The most important skills for an electronic test technician are RF, oscilloscopes, and test procedures.

Surfacing technician vs electronic test technician overview

Surfacing TechnicianElectronic Test Technician
Yearly salary$37,226$43,020
Hourly rate$17.90$20.68
Growth rate--
Number of jobs39,79349,129
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeAssociate Degree, 37%Associate Degree, 60%
Average age5050
Years of experience1212

Surfacing technician vs electronic test technician salary

Surfacing technicians and electronic test technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

Surfacing TechnicianElectronic Test Technician
Average salary$37,226$43,020
Salary rangeBetween $28,000 And $48,000Between $32,000 And $57,000
Highest paying City-Bethesda, MD
Highest paying state-Hawaii
Best paying company-Sandia National Labs
Best paying industry-Energy

Differences between surfacing technician and electronic test technician education

There are a few differences between a surfacing technician and an electronic test technician in terms of educational background:

Surfacing TechnicianElectronic Test Technician
Most common degreeAssociate Degree, 37%Associate Degree, 60%
Most common majorBusinessElectrical Engineering
Most common collegeStanford UniversityNortheastern University

Surfacing technician vs electronic test technician demographics

Here are the differences between surfacing technicians' and electronic test technicians' demographics:

Surfacing TechnicianElectronic Test Technician
Average age5050
Gender ratioMale, 75.1% Female, 24.9%Male, 91.0% Female, 9.0%
Race ratioBlack 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, 6.3% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 10.4% Asian, 8.0% White, 70.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%
LGBT Percentage8%8%

Differences between surfacing technician and electronic test technician duties and responsibilities

Surfacing technician example responsibilities.

  • Install and manage windows applications for the user, maintain servers and manage help desk operations.
  • Full knowledge of VCD machine, stuffing IC's into bare PC boards.
  • Program and operates AOI machine.
  • Assemble thru-hole and surface mount PC boards.
  • Operate under ESD guidelines and according to standard operating procedures.
  • Build and maintain programs for automatic inspection machines (AOI).
  • Show more

Electronic test technician example responsibilities.

  • Manage work load for new equipment builds for PC refresh for end of lease equipment and new user setups.
  • Key interface for, DOD, NASA, FDA, IPC, and ISO inspections.
  • Perform software and hardware debugging.
  • Follow ESD procedures and written safety rules.
  • Test and troubleshoot complex wire harnesses and panel assemblies.
  • Test products to adhere to ISO 9000 and FDA regulations.
  • Show more

Surfacing technician vs electronic test technician skills

Common surfacing technician skills
  • Circuit Board Assembly, 15%
  • SMT, 14%
  • Safety Regulations, 8%
  • IPC, 6%
  • PCB, 4%
  • RAN, 4%
Common electronic test technician skills
  • RF, 9%
  • Oscilloscopes, 8%
  • Test Procedures, 7%
  • Test Data, 6%
  • Hand Tools, 6%
  • Test Results, 4%

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