A technician is someone with advanced practical knowledge in the way certain systems work. The service technician uses this knowledge to provide service and repairs to usually mechanized or complex objects like automobiles, furnaces, plumbing equipment, or computers, and a vast range of other things. Thus the service technician can apply to workers in numerous fields who use their specialized knowledge to either provide specific services or repairs.
Another term for service technician is field technician, which can again apply to many different types of work. Your local power or cable company employs field technicians who are skilled in repairing or servicing equipment needed to provide you with power or cable. These workers are “in the field” since most of their job requires them to travel to different locations, like residences or specific neighborhoods in order to conduct tests, repairs or maintenance. For instance if your power company offers a free pilot lighting service each winter, a field technician from the power company comes to your home to perform this work. When the power goes out, field or service technicians work to identify the problem and fix the problem on location.
Not all service technician workers are field technicians. Some work out of shops, as is the case with automotive technicians. When you have a problem with your car, few mechanics or automotive technicians come to your home. Instead you bring the car to them, where they have access to tools, testing equipment, and often a supply of parts to help repair or maintain your vehicle.
Sometimes a service technician in a given field may work on “field” assignments or may work from a central location. For instance certain computer repair technicians will work at your home attempting to repair your computer or solve connection problems. In other cases you have to bring the computer or parts to a repair shop, or even ship your problematic computer to a central repair facility where a service technician will evaluate its problems and hopefully be able to repair them.
In certain cases, the service technician has to be a field technician. It’s not practical for you to ship your heater off to a remote locale if it’s not working. Therefore, a person who repairs heaters or other major appliances must come to your home, and work on whatever problems exist on site.
Service technicians usually have specific training; the automotive technician usually completes training at either a trade school or community college, so that he can repair and maintain your vehicle. There are actually many technical certificates available through trade schools and community colleges. Other people may learn on the job and acquire hours of experience. Some technicians require certification or a certain amount of apprentice training in order to be licensed — it really depends upon the field in which the technician works. Typically, the service technician can be defined as the following: a person with significant technical and practical knowledge in a given field who is trained to provide both service (like routine cleanings) and repair of equipment that lies within his/her field of expertise.