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The differences between associate design engineers and junior designers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become an associate design engineer, becoming a junior designer takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, an associate design engineer has an average salary of $74,791, which is higher than the $53,349 average annual salary of a junior designer.
The top three skills for an associate design engineer include design engineering, CAD and autocad. The most important skills for a junior designer are sketch, graphic design, and adobe creative suite.
| Associate Design Engineer | Junior Designer | |
| Yearly salary | $74,791 | $53,349 |
| Hourly rate | $35.96 | $25.65 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 108,860 | 58,152 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 75% |
| Average age | 41 | 38 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 12 |
An Associate Design Engineer is a specialist focused on the engineering process design for various engineering disciplines, such as mechanical, electrical, or structural. Duties include designing and coordinating projects, conducting model making and product testing, identifying new processes that promote cost-savings, efficiency, and quality, and assisting the director in contract bidding. They are also involved in resource forecasting, budgeting, and technical report writing. An associate design engineer liaises with clients, contractors, and colleagues to ensure the project is delivered according to the timeline.
A junior designer is an entry-level professional who is responsible for creating high-quality designs according to the requirements of clients. Under the supervision of senior designers, junior designers must understand project requirements and projects and use various techniques to create drafts, models, and prototypes. They collaborate with team members to pitch in creative ideas and produce final design solutions that can include banners or logos. Junior designers must also take on specially design tasks and use feedback from other designers to improve.
Associate design engineers and junior designers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Associate Design Engineer | Junior Designer | |
| Average salary | $74,791 | $53,349 |
| Salary range | Between $58,000 And $95,000 | Between $43,000 And $65,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Santa Rosa, CA |
| Highest paying state | Connecticut | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Silicon Labs | Nike |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Technology |
There are a few differences between an associate design engineer and a junior designer in terms of educational background:
| Associate Design Engineer | Junior Designer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 75% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Graphic Design |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between associate design engineers' and junior designers' demographics:
| Associate Design Engineer | Junior Designer | |
| Average age | 41 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 84.3% Female, 15.7% | Male, 50.4% Female, 49.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 8.0% Asian, 17.1% White, 67.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | Black or African American, 3.4% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 10.6% Asian, 10.4% White, 70.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 13% |