Test technician vs senior electronics technician

The differences between test technicians and senior electronics technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a test technician and a senior electronics technician. Additionally, a senior electronics technician has an average salary of $61,776, which is higher than the $43,171 average annual salary of a test technician.

The top three skills for a test technician include test procedures, test results and hand tools. The most important skills for a senior electronics technician are RF, technical support, and analog.

Test technician vs senior electronics technician overview

	Test Technician	Senior Electronics Technician
Yearly salary	$43,171	$61,776
Hourly rate	$20.76	$29.70
Growth rate	-	-
Number of jobs	71,414	68,281
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 45%	Associate Degree, 58%
Average age	50	50
Years of experience	12	12

What does a test technician do?

A test technician is responsible for running multiple diagnostic tests on various tools and equipment to boost optimization and ensure its efficient performance on operations. Test technicians inspect system components and manage calibration, following clients' specifications or the business' needs. A test technician also analyzes the system's design processes and features to understand its complexities and identify necessary upgrades. Test technicians keep a record of system issues and resolutions for reference. A test technician must have excellent knowledge of the technical and mechanical industry to perform tasks and achieve the highest customer satisfaction.

What does a senior electronics technician do?

A Senior Electronics Technician organizes and directs the operations of an electronics shop. They develop and document test processes for electronic equipment.

Test technician vs senior electronics technician salary

Test technicians and senior electronics technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Test Technician	Senior Electronics Technician
Average salary	$43,171	$61,776
Salary range	Between $30,000 And $61,000	Between $44,000 And $85,000
Highest paying City	Washington, DC	Pleasanton, CA
Highest paying state	Hawaii	Hawaii
Best paying company	Nokia	Halliburton
Best paying industry	Technology	Energy

Differences between test technician and senior electronics technician education

There are a few differences between a test technician and a senior electronics technician in terms of educational background:

	Test Technician	Senior Electronics Technician
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 45%	Associate Degree, 58%
Most common major	Electrical Engineering	Electrical Engineering
Most common college	Northeastern University	Northeastern University

Test technician vs senior electronics technician demographics

Here are the differences between test technicians' and senior electronics technicians' demographics:

	Test Technician	Senior Electronics Technician
Average age	50	50
Gender ratio	Male, 83.6% Female, 16.4%	Male, 94.6% Female, 5.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 6.3% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 10.4% Asian, 8.0% White, 70.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%	Black or African American, 6.3% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 10.4% Asian, 8.0% White, 70.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%
LGBT Percentage	8%	8%

Differences between test technician and senior electronics technician duties and responsibilities

Test technician example responsibilities.

Install and manage windows applications for the user, maintain servers and manage help desk operations.
Manage and distribute cad standards to contributing design consultants and assist with any design issues as necessary.
Perform in-circuit emulation and boundary scan testing (JTAG).
Perform extensive testing on CVD, PVD, display and solar tooling.
Configure bios to better suit the operating system, motherboard and CPU's needs and requirements.
Use of micrometers, calipers, torque wrenches, rivet and crimping tools, electrical test equipment, drill presses.

Senior electronics technician example responsibilities.

Manage and ensure preventative maintenance, safety, and OSHA compliance programs are meet.
Analyze, and troubleshoot analog, digital, audio, and RF circuits to component level in telephone circuit boards.
Work to ensure compliance with all OSHA, ISO, cGMP and FDA standards.
Experience using oscilloscopes and spectrum analyzers to measure and interpret transmitter system operating parameters.
Perform alignments using network analyzers, scalar analyzers, spectrum analyzers, and oscilloscopes.
Train on ISO and IPC.

Test technician vs senior electronics technician skills

Common test technician skills

Test Procedures, 8%
Test Results, 8%
Hand Tools, 7%
Test Data, 5%
RF, 5%
Engineering Drawings, 4%

Common senior electronics technician skills

RF, 9%
Technical Support, 5%
Analog, 5%
Ac, 4%
Dc, 4%
Oscilloscopes, 4%

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Test Technician vs Senior Electronics Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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