Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between technicians and product 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 technician and a product technician. Additionally, a product technician has an average salary of $67,026, 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 a product technician are customer service, troubleshoot, and product support.
| Technician | Product Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $38,045 | $67,026 |
| Hourly rate | $18.29 | $32.22 |
| Growth rate | 1% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 596,842 | 99,755 |
| Job satisfaction | 2 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 32% | High School Diploma, 33% |
| Average age | 40 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
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.
Product technicians are skilled professionals who are responsible for evaluating manufactured goods to ensure quality and functionality before they are marketed to the general public. These technicians are required to perform equipment setup and adjustments while conducting minor preventative maintenance tasks to test for safety and productivity before they are put into production. By using their technical knowledge, they must identify problems such as mechanical issues and safety issues while providing potential solutions to the issues. Product technicians must also ensure that finished products conform to specifications and codes.
Technicians and product technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Technician | Product Technician | |
| Average salary | $38,045 | $67,026 |
| Salary range | Between $24,000 And $58,000 | Between $36,000 And $123,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Jose, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Hawaii | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Microsoft | PayPal |
| Best paying industry | Telecommunication | - |
There are a few differences between a technician and a product technician in terms of educational background:
| Technician | Product Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 32% | High School Diploma, 33% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between technicians' and product technicians' demographics:
| Technician | Product Technician | |
| Average age | 40 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 75.2% Female, 24.8% | Male, 85.8% Female, 14.2% |
| 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, 9.4% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.6% Asian, 7.5% White, 60.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 2% | 6% |