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The differences between application engineers and product engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both an application engineer and a product engineer. Additionally, an application engineer has an average salary of $92,921, which is higher than the $89,645 average annual salary of a product engineer.
The top three skills for an application engineer include technical support, java and C++. The most important skills for a product engineer are CAD, product design, and project management.
| Application Engineer | Product Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $92,921 | $89,645 |
| Hourly rate | $44.67 | $43.10 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 111,338 | 157,888 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Average age | 44 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
An application engineer is responsible for creating and re-designing system applications based on clients' specifications and sales demands. Application engineers run diagnostic tests on software programs, identify areas of improvement, install necessary updates, upgrade optimization, revise system codes, and provide technical support for customers' needs. They also generate ideas and locate other business opportunities by analyzing current trends in the technology market that would help build revenues and increase profitability for the company. An application engineer must have a strong command of programming languages, software application processes, and general technology disciplines.
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.
Application engineers and product engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Application Engineer | Product Engineer | |
| Average salary | $92,921 | $89,645 |
| Salary range | Between $69,000 And $125,000 | Between $68,000 And $118,000 |
| Highest paying City | Redwood City, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Morgan Lewis | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between an application engineer and a product engineer in terms of educational background:
| Application Engineer | Product Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Georgia Institute of Technology | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between application engineers' and product engineers' demographics:
| Application Engineer | Product Engineer | |
| Average age | 44 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 87.4% Female, 12.6% | Male, 87.8% Female, 12.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 1.4% Unknown, 6.1% Hispanic or Latino, 6.7% Asian, 11.5% White, 74.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | 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 | 7% | 5% |