Technician vs operator

The differences between technicians and operators 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 operator takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a technician has an average salary of $38,045, which is higher than the $37,928 average annual salary of an operator.

The top three skills for a technician include patients, customer service and patient care. The most important skills for an operator are safety procedures, CDL, and emergency calls.

Technician vs operator overview

	Technician	Operator
Yearly salary	$38,045	$37,928
Hourly rate	$18.29	$18.23
Growth rate	1%	7%
Number of jobs	596,842	159,077
Job satisfaction	2	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 32%	High School Diploma, 40%
Average age	40	43
Years of experience	2	4

What does a technician do?

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.

What does an operator do?

Operators are skilled workers who are in charge of working on an industrial machine or a specific aspect of the manufacturing business. They are trained to operate machines, learning how to use them. They are also responsible for the maintenance and repair of the machine, and they should be able to troubleshoot problems and provide remedies to them. They must be knowledgeable about the different parts of the machine and how to mitigate any challenges that may arise. Operators should be alert, detail-oriented, and familiar with safety and health guidelines.

Technician vs operator salary

Technicians and operators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Technician	Operator
Average salary	$38,045	$37,928
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $58,000	Between $27,000 And $53,000
Highest paying City	San Jose, CA	San Jose, CA
Highest paying state	Hawaii	North Dakota
Best paying company	Microsoft	Microsoft
Best paying industry	Telecommunication	Technology

Differences between technician and operator education

There are a few differences between a technician and an operator in terms of educational background:

	Technician	Operator
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 32%	High School Diploma, 40%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Technician vs operator demographics

Here are the differences between technicians' and operators' demographics:

	Technician	Operator
Average age	40	43
Gender ratio	Male, 75.2% Female, 24.8%	Male, 73.0% Female, 27.0%
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, 16.2% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 18.6% Asian, 2.5% White, 57.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	2%	4%

Differences between technician and operator duties and responsibilities

Technician example responsibilities.

Achieve multiple ASE certifications within first year of employment.
Implement and manage UHF radio base stations, repeaters, and command network, effectively linking all regional headquarters.
Manage telecommunications installation and repair for hospital Nortel network.
Maintain numerous automate scripts to assist in managing Linux systems.
Manage, troubleshot and repair multiple wireless technologies including fiber optic transmission switches.
Install peripherals including printers, fax machines, scanners, and smartphones.

Operator example responsibilities.

Assist in developing the company s short and long term training plans and managing yearly ammunition allocation.
Assist and manage the extrusion process of polyester raw material in pellet or chip form to produce finish rolls of plastic.
Manage day-to-day transportation and logistics services for multinational account base.
Manage the master calendar and schedule resources such as communication equipment, weapons, transportation and ammunition forecast and delivery.
Job require basic math skills: fractions and decimals.
Ensure safety of all equipment during production in compliance with strict OSHA and safety regulations.

Technician vs operator skills

Common technician skills

Patients, 16%
Customer Service, 14%
Patient Care, 8%
Hand Tools, 6%
Diagnosis, 5%
Preventative Maintenance, 4%

Common operator skills

Safety Procedures, 15%
CDL, 6%
Emergency Calls, 6%
Preventative Maintenance, 4%
Quality Checks, 4%
Dozer, 4%

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Installation, Maintenance and Repair Industry
Technician
Technician vs Operator

Updated January 8, 2025

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