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The differences between technical assistants and technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a technical assistant and a technician. Additionally, a technician has an average salary of $38,045, which is higher than the $34,159 average annual salary of a technical assistant.
The top three skills for a technical assistant include patients, customer service and patient care. The most important skills for a technician are patients, customer service, and patient care.
| Technical Assistant | Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $34,159 | $38,045 |
| Hourly rate | $16.42 | $18.29 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 1% |
| Number of jobs | 73,750 | 596,842 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 2 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 53% | Bachelor's Degree, 32% |
| Average age | 42 | 40 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A technical assistant is responsible for supporting business operations by doing administrative and technical tasks under a direct supervisor or tenured staff. Duties of a technical assistant include creating meeting reports, scheduling events, responding to clients' inquiries through email and phone calls, monitoring office inventories, basic troubleshooting on defective equipment, providing recommendations on product development, and analyzing operations processes. Technical assistants require strong time-management and multi-tasking skills to perform tasks in a fast-paced environment and high-level operations.
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.
Technical assistants and technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Technical Assistant | Technician | |
| Average salary | $34,159 | $38,045 |
| Salary range | Between $22,000 And $51,000 | Between $24,000 And $58,000 |
| Highest paying City | Boston, MA | San Jose, CA |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | The American Musical and Dramatic Academy | Microsoft |
| Best paying industry | Insurance | Telecommunication |
There are a few differences between a technical assistant and a technician in terms of educational background:
| Technical Assistant | Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 53% | Bachelor's Degree, 32% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | - |
Here are the differences between technical assistants' and technicians' demographics:
| Technical Assistant | Technician | |
| Average age | 42 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 54.8% Female, 45.2% | Male, 75.2% Female, 24.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.1% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 15.8% Asian, 11.9% White, 55.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | 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 | 11% | 2% |