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The differences between technical experts and professional 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 expert and a professional technician. Additionally, a technical expert has an average salary of $120,223, which is higher than the $81,726 average annual salary of a professional technician.
The top three skills for a technical expert include customer satisfaction, technical problems and technical troubleshooting. The most important skills for a professional technician are customer service, cloud, and project management.
| Technical Expert | Professional Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $120,223 | $81,726 |
| Hourly rate | $57.80 | $39.29 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 125,017 | 123,659 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 53% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
Technical experts are professionals who are responsible for managing technical programs and products of a technology-based company by providing customer service, staff training, and web development. They must provide technical support on products and current issues through phone calls or face-to-face customer end support. They must conduct technical assistance to help solve operational problems faced by customers while train users to operate automation and communications equipment. They must also research for costing-effective and new technologies while coaching employees on selling those new technologies.
A professional technician is responsible for handling the complexities of technical and mechanical systems, repair defective components, and recommend technical solutions to enhance the company's productivity and efficiency in delivering high-quality deliverables. Professional technicians must be highly skilled in analyzing schematics and blueprints to assemble components and perform troubleshooting. They also manage the adequacy of inventories, create purchase requests, and identify costs and expenses for repairs and installations. A professional technician must be highly communicative and organization, especially in handling tasks with utmost adherence to safety protocols and regulations.
Technical experts and professional technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Technical Expert | Professional Technician | |
| Average salary | $120,223 | $81,726 |
| Salary range | Between $88,000 And $162,000 | Between $64,000 And $104,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | New York | California |
| Best paying company | Apple | Microsoft |
| Best paying industry | Media | Energy |
There are a few differences between a technical expert and a professional technician in terms of educational background:
| Technical Expert | Professional Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 53% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Most common major | Business | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between technical experts' and professional technicians' demographics:
| Technical Expert | Professional Technician | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 77.1% Female, 22.9% | Male, 72.1% Female, 27.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.0% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 15.9% Asian, 12.0% White, 55.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 11.3% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.0% Asian, 12.8% White, 54.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |