Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between technicians and engineering technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a technician, becoming an engineering technician takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, an engineering technician has an average salary of $60,273, which is higher than the $38,045 average annual salary of a technician.
The top three skills for a technician include patients, customer service and patient care. The most important skills for an engineering technician are technical support, data collection, and test equipment.
| Technician | Engineering Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $38,045 | $60,273 |
| Hourly rate | $18.29 | $28.98 |
| Growth rate | 1% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 596,842 | 111,343 |
| Job satisfaction | 2 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 32% | Bachelor's Degree, 46% |
| Average age | 40 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 4 |
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.
An Engineering Technician's duties vary according to the industry or company, whether mechanical, industrial, civil, agricultural, or more. However, most of the time, the responsibilities often revolve around resolving technical issues, working with and assisting Engineers in building, assembling, designing, gathering and testing data, and conducting more manual activities. Furthermore, Engineering Technicians can specialize and work in various fields after a certain training period, closely mentored or monitored by an engineer or someone with extensive expertise.
Technicians and engineering technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Technician | Engineering Technician | |
| Average salary | $38,045 | $60,273 |
| Salary range | Between $24,000 And $58,000 | Between $37,000 And $96,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Jose, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Hawaii | Washington |
| Best paying company | Microsoft | Western Digital |
| Best paying industry | Telecommunication | Technology |
There are a few differences between a technician and an engineering technician in terms of educational background:
| Technician | Engineering Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 32% | Bachelor's Degree, 46% |
| Most common major | Business | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | - | Purdue University |
Here are the differences between technicians' and engineering technicians' demographics:
| Technician | Engineering Technician | |
| Average age | 40 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 75.2% Female, 24.8% | Male, 85.9% Female, 14.1% |
| Race ratio | 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% | Black or African American, 9.5% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.7% Asian, 9.2% White, 59.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 2% | 6% |