Although technology includes psychological and sociological as well as a technical knowledge, a technician is generally someone in a field who has a relatively shallow understanding of the general technical principles compared to experts, but usually more than the average layperson. This middle grade of understanding of theory is generally mastered to allow the technician to become an expert in a specific tool and thus part of a larger process or production. Hence, an audio technician, while not as learned in acoustics as a physicist, will generally know more than an actor or singer and will be able to operate sound equipment designed for a particular setting or task. The concepts of experts and expertise is debated within the field of epistemology under the general heading of expert knowledge.

Technicians can be found working in a variety of fields, and they usually have a job title with the designation 'technician' following the particular category of work. Thus a 'stage technician' is a worker who supports putting on a play, while a 'medical technician' is an employee who provides technical support in the medical industry.