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The differences between associate design engineers and system design engineers 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 system design engineer takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a system design engineer has an average salary of $107,704, which is higher than the $74,791 average annual salary of an associate design engineer.
The top three skills for an associate design engineer include design engineering, CAD and autocad. The most important skills for a system design engineer are system design, architecture, and MATLAB.
| Associate Design Engineer | System Design Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $74,791 | $107,704 |
| Hourly rate | $35.96 | $51.78 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 108,860 | 113,582 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Average age | 41 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 2 |
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 system design engineer is an individual who participates in system design engineering and resolves manufacturing and service problems. System design engineers are required to collaborate with the system design team to research emerging technologies and develop new capabilities. They create design layouts by utilizing the use of CAD software such as AutoCad as well as supervise a group of CAD technicians. System design engineers must also provide customer service in the field and deliver individualized problem solving and system design support
Associate design engineers and system design engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Associate Design Engineer | System Design Engineer | |
| Average salary | $74,791 | $107,704 |
| Salary range | Between $58,000 And $95,000 | Between $77,000 And $149,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Connecticut | California |
| Best paying company | Silicon Labs | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Automotive |
There are a few differences between an associate design engineer and a system design engineer in terms of educational background:
| Associate Design Engineer | System Design Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between associate design engineers' and system design engineers' demographics:
| Associate Design Engineer | System Design Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 84.3% Female, 15.7% | Male, 91.2% Female, 8.8% |
| 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, 4.9% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 11.4% Asian, 15.4% White, 63.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 6% |