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Associate electrical engineer vs electrical designer

The differences between associate electrical engineers and electrical designers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both an associate electrical engineer and an electrical designer. Additionally, an associate electrical engineer has an average salary of $71,773, which is higher than the $64,930 average annual salary of an electrical designer.

The top three skills for an associate electrical engineer include electrical components, electrical equipment and RF. The most important skills for an electrical designer are revit, electrical design, and autocad electrical.

Associate electrical engineer vs electrical designer overview

Associate Electrical EngineerElectrical Designer
Yearly salary$71,773$64,930
Hourly rate$34.51$31.22
Growth rate3%3%
Number of jobs31,70782,332
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 51%Associate Degree, 47%
Average age4545
Years of experience22

What does an associate electrical engineer do?

An associate electrical engineer is responsible for organizing and developing electrical systems, improving existing components, and designing infrastructure under the guidance of the senior electrical engineer. Associate electrical engineers identify cost-reduction materials and analyze current electrical industry trends to determine efficient products and equipment that support public demands and industrial use. They collaborate testing methods with the engineering team, suggest project improvement techniques, and perform quality assurance procedures to stabilize the electrical system's optimal performance.

What does an electrical designer do?

An electrical designer designs and develops electrical circuit and system layouts for electric power distribution. The responsibilities of an electrical designer include assembling electrical panels and leading a team of document control personnel in-charged to identify and organize facility maintenance drawings. The position requires good initiative, writing, speaking, and mathematical skills to accomplish such responsibilities. The job's education requirements include possessing a college degree in electrical engineering, design, or a related field.

Associate electrical engineer vs electrical designer salary

Associate electrical engineers and electrical designers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Associate Electrical EngineerElectrical Designer
Average salary$71,773$64,930
Salary rangeBetween $51,000 And $100,000Between $47,000 And $89,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CASan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateCaliforniaCalifornia
Best paying companyMcKinsey & Company IncAmd
Best paying industryHospitalityManufacturing

Differences between associate electrical engineer and electrical designer education

There are a few differences between an associate electrical engineer and an electrical designer in terms of educational background:

Associate Electrical EngineerElectrical Designer
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 51%Associate Degree, 47%
Most common majorElectrical EngineeringElectrical Engineering
Most common collegeMichigan Technological UniversityMichigan Technological University

Associate electrical engineer vs electrical designer demographics

Here are the differences between associate electrical engineers' and electrical designers' demographics:

Associate Electrical EngineerElectrical Designer
Average age4545
Gender ratioMale, 86.6% Female, 13.4%Male, 82.9% Female, 17.1%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 4.8% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 11.0% Asian, 14.5% White, 64.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%Black or African American, 4.8% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 11.2% Asian, 14.4% White, 64.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage6%6%

Differences between associate electrical engineer and electrical designer duties and responsibilities

Associate electrical engineer example responsibilities.

  • Assist engineers with designing and coding test fixtures using LabVIEW to automate production testing.
  • Perform experiments on RF components during development process and achieve a robust design.
  • Coordinate with senior electrical engineers and achieve hands-on experience on coal fire plant power generation and power transformers, circuit breakers.
  • Participate in the conversion of Magtek FPGA card reader microcontroller into an ASIC.
  • Upgrade, rework and troubleshoot to the component level of digital and analog circuits.
  • Design power supply, PCB layout and mechanical housing for testing tool and interface boards.
  • Show more

Electrical designer example responsibilities.

  • Manage database for PDF drawings and other electronic files.
  • Design control systems to NFPA, UL, and CE specifications to comply with country-specific standards.
  • Work conduct using PDMS, NavisWorks and AutoCAD.
  • Used INTOOLS to input instrument tags into index, customize reports & import data from PDMS into INTOOLS.
  • Integrate electrical & electronic designs into custom automation equipment using 2D & 3D design software (AutoCAD & SolidWorks).
  • Convert various units to DCS for ExxonMobil.
  • Show more

Associate electrical engineer vs electrical designer skills

Common associate electrical engineer skills
  • Electrical Components, 7%
  • Electrical Equipment, 6%
  • RF, 6%
  • CAD, 5%
  • Autocad, 4%
  • C++, 4%
Common electrical designer skills
  • Revit, 14%
  • Electrical Design, 11%
  • Autocad Electrical, 5%
  • UL, 5%
  • Electrical Systems, 5%
  • Electrical Schematics, 4%

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