Test technician vs senior engineering technician

The differences between test technicians and senior engineering technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-12 months to become a test technician, becoming a senior engineering technician takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a senior engineering technician has an average salary of $88,615, 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 engineering technician are java, SR, and emerging technologies.

Test technician vs senior engineering technician overview

	Test Technician	Senior Engineering Technician
Yearly salary	$43,171	$88,615
Hourly rate	$20.76	$42.60
Growth rate	-	3%
Number of jobs	71,414	94,734
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 45%	Bachelor's Degree, 47%
Average age	50	45
Years of experience	12	4

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 engineering technician do?

A Senior Engineering Technician uses the technical principles of engineering to create and develop a project or product. They also provide technical assistance to professional engineering staff on special projects.

Test technician vs senior engineering technician salary

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

	Test Technician	Senior Engineering Technician
Average salary	$43,171	$88,615
Salary range	Between $30,000 And $61,000	Between $63,000 And $123,000
Highest paying City	Washington, DC	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	Hawaii	Idaho
Best paying company	Nokia	CrowdStrike
Best paying industry	Technology	Energy

Differences between test technician and senior engineering technician education

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

	Test Technician	Senior Engineering Technician
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 45%	Bachelor's Degree, 47%
Most common major	Electrical Engineering	Electrical Engineering
Most common college	Northeastern University	Purdue University

Test technician vs senior engineering technician demographics

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

	Test Technician	Senior Engineering Technician
Average age	50	45
Gender ratio	Male, 83.6% Female, 16.4%	Male, 88.5% Female, 11.5%
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, 8.9% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 15.6% Asian, 11.3% White, 58.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	8%	6%

Differences between test technician and senior engineering 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 engineering technician example responsibilities.

Manage and distribute cad standards to contributing design consultants and assist with any design issues as necessary.
Determine and insure how statistical process control (SPC) are performed, collect, and update.
Test equipment utilize included DMM's, oscilloscopes, spectrum analyzers, waveform function generators, and signal generators.
Demonstrate expertise in analog and digital electronic circuit design.
Rework and diagnose SMT PCBs.
Implement native and HTML5 UI.

Test technician vs senior engineering 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 engineering technician skills

Java, 8%
SR, 5%
Emerging Technologies, 5%
Troubleshoot, 4%
Technical Support, 4%
Project Management, 4%

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Test Technician vs Senior Engineering Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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