What is an Application Engineer?

Q: Is an applications engineer a sales engineer?

No, an applications engineer is not a sales engineer. While applications engineers develop applications for technical engineering products, sales engineers sell those products. The role of an applications engineer is to develop applications for complex scientific and technological products or services for their company. To do this, they must have extensive knowledge of the products' parts and functions and must understand the scientific processes that make these products work.

If you love technology, enjoy working on new products with customers, and desire to be a part of state-of-the-art developments, a career as an application engineer might be a viable option for you. Application engineering is a career that offers you a lot of room for professional and personal development. From hands-on activities like developing, manufacturing, and testing complex applications boards to providing documentation and customer consulting, it's a job with many facets.

As an application engineer, you may redesign, develop, test, or implement new software programs or applications. Typically you will work in an application development firm to meet the goals of your customers' or clients' unique software needs. When developing and improving applications, you'll commonly act as a bridge between clients and engineering teams. With handling the specifications and standards of technology, you'll usually work 40 hours a week. However, weekend work or overtime may come when a project is deadline-oriented.

To become an application engineer, you will generally need a bachelor's degree in a technical discipline such as engineering, IT, or computer science. Experience with programming languages, development, and designing enterprise programs may give you an additional edge over the competition as well. As a creator in the programming and technology sector, you may earn an average attractive wage of $83,000. Not only that, but becoming an application engineer may open up numerous career paths for you. Depending on your strengths, you can move to the role of technical expert or even project management.

What Does an Application Engineer Do

There are certain skills that many application engineers have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed interpersonal skills, self-confidence and technological skills.

Learn more about what an Application Engineer does

How To Become an Application Engineer

If you're interested in becoming an application engineer, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 71.9% of application engineers have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 12.8% of application engineers have master's degrees. Even though most application engineers have a college degree, it's possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.

Learn More About How To Become an Application Engineer

Top Application Engineer Jobs Near You

Application Engineer Career Paths

In addition to switching up your job search, it might prove helpful to look at a career path for your specific job. Now, what's a career path you ask? Well, it's practically a map that shows how you might advance from one job title to another. Our career paths are especially detailed with salary changes. So, for example, if you started out with the role of project manager you might progress to a role such as product manager eventually. Later on in your career, you could end up with the title senior product marketing manager.

Top Careers Before Application Engineer

Design Engineer (138,173 Jobs)

9.4 %

Project Engineer (176,689 Jobs)

9.1 %

Internship (51,064 Jobs)

7.5 %

Top Careers After Application Engineer

Project Manager (167,116 Jobs)

8.9 %

Project Engineer (176,689 Jobs)

8.4 %

Senior Applications Engineer (274,466 Jobs)

7.5 %

Average Salary for an Application Engineer

Application Engineers in America make an average salary of $92,921 per year or $45 per hour. The top 10 percent makes over $125,000 per year, while the bottom 10 percent under $69,000 per year.

Average Application Engineer Salary

$92,921 Yearly

$44.67 hourly

$69,00010%

$92,000Median

$125,00090%

See More Salary Information

What Am I Worth?

Roles and Types of Application Engineer

The role of an application engineer includes a wide range of responsibilities. These responsibilities can vary based on an individual's specific job, company, or industry.Here are some general application engineer responsibilities:

Solve customers’ technical problems develop clear tech communication channels between corning
Provide follow-up support in disseminating technical information on specific applications to service personnel, company sales representatives, project managers
Assists customers in the application of rotron products against customer needs. This involves analysis of customer technical requirements, initial product feasibility analysis,

There are several types of application engineer, including:

Software Engineer

Role:

Software Engineers get to apply lots of different areas of study into their everyday work. Whether it's science, engineering, mathematics, computer science, or even design, these engineers are able to use lots of different methods and techniques in their line of work.

Essentially, software engineers design, develop and test software applications for computers. They usually work in offices or labs during their average 40-hour workweek. Even though they use a wide range of study, typically software engineers only require a Bachelor's degree, although a Master's degree is appealing to most employers.

Average Salary: $100,260
Degree: Bachelor's Degree

Engineer

Role:

Engineers design and develop new products in a variety of different industries. They might be mechanical or software engineers or create electric machinery, design chemical or geotechnical processes, or help to structure civil or management disciplines. Whatever the case may be, engineers are involved in creating the diverse technologies that facilitate the processes of our lives in different areas. Combining creative thinking with the principles of mathematics and science using a wide range of technical skills, engineers work on the design, manufacturing, installation, and maintenance of various products from machines, vehicles, buildings, and roads to software or social processes serving consumers, businesses, and societies.

Engineers are creative thinkers and brilliant problem solvers. They excel at mathematical, scientific, and mechanical analysis. They follow plans and blueprints with a strong focus, yet remain flexible and work well under pressure.

Engineers develop systems for solving various problems as members of a team. They know that a single component is worthless without their counterparts, so they have to be great communicators, as well, to be successful at their job.

Average Salary: $92,077
Degree: Bachelor's Degree

Project Engineer

Role:

A project engineer is responsible for the planning and implementation of a project. In collaboration with the management of the enterprise, they review proposals and come up with project goals. They break down the process and create a viable schedule, and then coordinate and monitor the work.

The project, as such, sounds vague because it depends on the industry they work for. In any case, they go on regular meetings with clients to make sure the the evolution of the work matches their vision. It is their responsibility to carry out the work within the budget or to propose adjustments to it if they see fit.

The project engineer will analyze the performance of their team and present progress reports to stakeholders to make sure everyone is at the top of their game.

Average Salary: $75,050
Degree: Bachelor's Degree

States With The Most Application Engineer Jobs

Mouse over a state to see the number of active application engineer jobs in each state. The darker areas on the map show where application engineers earn the highest salaries across all 50 states.

Average Salary: Job Openings:

Number Of Application Engineer Jobs By State

Rank	State	Number of Jobs	Average Salary
1	California	9,452	$114,148
2	Texas	3,252	$92,525
3	Virginia	2,473	$103,441
4	Florida	2,234	$79,727
5	New York	2,014	$91,659
6	Massachusetts	1,773	$83,898
7	Washington	1,763	$84,589
8	Illinois	1,646	$83,648
9	Colorado	1,525	$107,003
10	Georgia	1,482	$86,228
11	North Carolina	1,476	$76,179
12	Pennsylvania	1,454	$82,013
13	Maryland	1,248	$100,066
14	Michigan	1,245	$68,464
15	Ohio	1,198	$70,533
16	Arizona	1,149	$95,546
17	Oregon	1,069	$100,687
18	New Jersey	1,052	$87,748
19	Minnesota	931	$74,023
20	Indiana	768	$65,774
21	Wisconsin	756	$78,749
22	Utah	653	$81,591
23	Alabama	596	$69,235
24	Missouri	580	$68,353
25	Connecticut	539	$77,186
26	Tennessee	483	$74,555
27	South Carolina	429	$72,156
28	Kansas	330	$71,630
29	Iowa	311	$84,116
30	Kentucky	303	$68,762
31	New Hampshire	282	$94,446
32	Arkansas	282	$82,888
33	Nebraska	277	$65,983
34	Nevada	237	$88,663
35	Delaware	232	$82,713
36	Idaho	229	$89,588
37	New Mexico	215	$83,489
38	Louisiana	214	$72,210
39	Rhode Island	213	$95,073
40	Oklahoma	211	$72,535
41	Montana	153	$90,282
42	Vermont	140	$87,992
43	Mississippi	132	$83,288
44	Maine	131	$91,579
45	West Virginia	127	$81,447
46	Hawaii	105	$69,755
47	Alaska	104	$85,064
48	North Dakota	102	$88,828
49	Wyoming	90	$86,274
50	South Dakota	87	$87,423

Application Engineer Education

Application Engineer Majors

Mechanical Engineering

25.2 %

Electrical Engineering

24.2 %

Computer Science

7.4 %

Application Engineer Degrees

Admissions

Most Popular Majors

Engineering Technology

Mechanical Engineering

Electrical Engineering

Chemical Engineering

Computer Engineering

Top Skills For an Application Engineer

The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 7.5% of application engineers listed technical support on their resume, but soft skills such as interpersonal skills and self-confidence are important as well.

Technical Support, 7.5%

Java, 6.8%

C++, 5.7%

Customer Service, 5.0%

Troubleshoot, 4.3%

Other Skills, 70.7%

Choose From 10+ Customizable Application Engineer Resume templates

Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use Application Engineer templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your Application Engineer resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.

Application Engineer Demographics

Application Engineer Gender Distribution

Male

87%

Female

13%

After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:

Among application engineers, 12.6% of them are women, while 87.4% are men.

The most common race/ethnicity among application engineers is White, which makes up 74.0% of all application engineers.

The most common foreign language among application engineers is Spanish at 34.7%.

Online Courses For Application Engineer That You May Like

Advertising Disclosure

1. Applications in Engineering Mechanics

This course applies principles learned in my course “Introduction to Engineering Mechanics” to analyze real world engineering structures. You will need to have mastered the engineering fundamentals from that class in order to be successful in this course offering. This course addresses the modeling and analysis of static equilibrium problems with an emphasis on real world engineering systems and problem solving. --------------------------- Recommended Background: You will need to have...

See More on Coursera

2. 3D CAD Application

Do you want to obtain all the necessary skills of a 3D modeler? Do you want to know how an engineer develop a building model in details? The “3D CAD Application” course, the second course of the new specialization, is coming! After finishing this course: You will be able to know how to use the SketchUp’s advanced functions by creating 3D building models. You will be able to develop a building as an engineer. Let’s start the learning journey!...

See More on Coursera

3. Introduction to Systems Engineering

"Introduction to Systems Engineering" uses a structured yet flexible approach to provide a holistic, solid foundation to the successful development of complicated systems. The course takes you step by step through the system life cycle, from design to development, production and management. You will learn how the different components of a system interrelate, and how each contributes to a project’s goals and success. The discipline’s terminology, which can so often confuse the newcomer, is...

See More on Coursera

Show More Application Engineer Courses

Job type you want

Full Time

Part Time

Internship

Temporary

Best States For an Application Engineer

Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as an application engineer. The best states for people in this position are California, Colorado, Virginia, and Oregon. Application engineers make the most in California with an average salary of $114,148. Whereas in Colorado and Virginia, they would average $107,003 and $103,441, respectively. While application engineers would only make an average of $100,687 in Oregon, you would still make more there than in the rest of the country. We determined these as the best states based on job availability and pay. By finding the median salary, cost of living, and using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Location Quotient, we narrowed down our list of states to these four.

1. Colorado

Total Application Engineer Jobs: 1,525

Highest 10% Earn:

$142,000

Location Quotient:

1.51

$107,003

Avg. Salary

View 1,525 Application Engineer Jobs In CO

2. California

Total Application Engineer Jobs: 9,452

Highest 10% Earn:

$157,000

Location Quotient:

1.91

$114,148

Avg. Salary

View 9,452 Application Engineer Jobs In CA

3. Oregon

Total Application Engineer Jobs: 1,069

Highest 10% Earn:

$136,000

Location Quotient:

1.52

$100,687

Avg. Salary

View 1,069 Application Engineer Jobs In OR

Full List Of Best States For Application Engineers

How Do Application Engineer Rate Their Jobs?

Top Application Engineer Employers

We've made finding a great employer to work for easy by doing the hard work for you. We looked into employers that employ application engineers and discovered their number of application engineer opportunities and average salary. Through our research, we concluded that Arrow Electronics was the best, especially with an average salary of $105,275. Google follows up with an average salary of $137,948, and then comes Texas Instruments with an average of $119,316. In addition, we know most people would rather work from home. So instead of having to change careers, we identified the best employers for remote work as an application engineer. The employers include The Vanguard Group, Cadence Design Systems, and Trimble

Most Common Employers For Application Engineer

Rank	Company	Average Salary	Hourly Rate	Job Openings
1	Meta	$146,694	$70.53	138
2	Google	$137,948	$66.32	594
3	Cadence Design Systems	$120,154	$57.77	310
4	Texas Instruments	$119,316	$57.36	454
5	Applied Materials	$118,125	$56.79	157
6	Synopsys	$115,761	$55.65	433
7	Rohde & Schwarz	$111,283	$53.50	143
8	Intel	$106,129	$51.02	320
9	Arrow Electronics	$105,275	$50.61	596
10	Analog Devices	$104,367	$50.18	108

Application Engineer Videos

Ask Chad what is an Application Engineer?

Ask Mark What is an Application Engineer?

Becoming an Application Engineer FAQs

Is An Applications Engineer A Sales Engineer?

No, an applications engineer is not a sales engineer. While applications engineers develop applications for technical engineering products, sales engineers sell those products.

The role of an applications engineer is to develop applications for complex scientific and technological products or services for their company. To do this, they must have extensive knowledge of the products' parts and functions and must understand the scientific processes that make these products work.