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The differences between advanced engineers and product development engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become an advanced engineer, becoming a product development engineer takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a product development engineer has an average salary of $86,075, which is higher than the $85,139 average annual salary of an advanced engineer.
The top three skills for an advanced engineer include C++, python and MATLAB. The most important skills for a product development engineer are CAD, solidworks, and product development.
| Advanced Engineer | Product Development Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $85,139 | $86,075 |
| Hourly rate | $40.93 | $41.38 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 63,830 | 202,155 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 75% |
| Average age | 42 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 6 |
The duties of an advanced engineer primarily depend on their place or industry of employment. Typically, their responsibilities include performing research and analysis to identify project requirements, conceptualizing plans, designing and developing systems, establishing guidelines and goals, and creating strategies to optimize operations. They may also assess existing systems to identify their strengths and weaknesses, implementing solutions against problem areas. Moreover, an advanced engineer typically oversees staff performance and progress, all while enforcing the company's safety standards and regulations.
A Product Development Engineer is responsible for creating and testing new product designs. They collaborate with market researchers to evaluate market needs, existing competition, and potential costs.
Advanced engineers and product development engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Advanced Engineer | Product Development Engineer | |
| Average salary | $85,139 | $86,075 |
| Salary range | Between $69,000 And $104,000 | Between $64,000 And $113,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Sunnyvale, CA |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | California |
| Best paying company | Amazon | Amazon |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Technology |
There are a few differences between an advanced engineer and a product development engineer in terms of educational background:
| Advanced Engineer | Product Development Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 75% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between advanced engineers' and product development engineers' demographics:
| Advanced Engineer | Product Development Engineer | |
| Average age | 42 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 88.8% Female, 11.2% | Male, 86.8% Female, 13.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.6% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 11.3% Asian, 14.2% White, 65.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 16.7% White, 67.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 5% |