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The differences between advanced engineers and product 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 engineer takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a product engineer has an average salary of $89,645, 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 engineer are CAD, product design, and project management.
| Advanced Engineer | Product Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $85,139 | $89,645 |
| Hourly rate | $40.93 | $43.10 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 63,830 | 157,888 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| 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 engineer specializes in designing and developing commercial materials and services. They are primarily responsible for conducting thorough research and analysis of the latest trends and marketing conditions to come up with new ideas and products for the public. Moreover, they are also responsible for producing reports and presentations, coordinating with the development team of their company. Product engineers also reach out to vendors and suppliers for the raw materials, set regulations and standards for the product, and even conduct a rigorous and regular quality check.
Advanced engineers and product engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Advanced Engineer | Product Engineer | |
| Average salary | $85,139 | $89,645 |
| Salary range | Between $69,000 And $104,000 | Between $68,000 And $118,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | California |
| Best paying company | Amazon | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Technology |
There are a few differences between an advanced engineer and a product engineer in terms of educational background:
| Advanced Engineer | Product Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between advanced engineers' and product engineers' demographics:
| Advanced Engineer | Product Engineer | |
| Average age | 42 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 88.8% Female, 11.2% | Male, 87.8% Female, 12.2% |
| 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, 7.9% Asian, 17.0% White, 67.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 5% |