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The differences between associate electrical engineers and instrumentation & control engineers 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 instrumentation & control engineer. Additionally, an instrumentation & control engineer has an average salary of $92,464, which is higher than the $71,773 average annual salary of an associate electrical engineer.
The top three skills for an associate electrical engineer include electrical components, electrical equipment and RF. The most important skills for an instrumentation & control engineer are PLC, HMI, and SCADA.
| Associate Electrical Engineer | Instrumentation & Control Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $71,773 | $92,464 |
| Hourly rate | $34.51 | $44.45 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 31,707 | 51,065 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 51% | Bachelor's Degree, 78% |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
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.
An instrumentation and control engineer is responsible for installing and designing technical components for engineering systems that would support production and manufacturing processes. Instrumentation and control engineers inspect control systems, modify features and infrastructure, configure controllers, and run multiple quality checks to ensure stability and optimal performance. They must have excellent communication and technical skills, especially in developing system codes and analyzing programming languages to serve control functions and development. An instrumentation and control engineer also resolves system issues and write resolution reports for reference.
Associate electrical engineers and instrumentation & control engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Associate Electrical Engineer | Instrumentation & Control Engineer | |
| Average salary | $71,773 | $92,464 |
| Salary range | Between $51,000 And $100,000 | Between $70,000 And $121,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | California | Washington |
| Best paying company | McKinsey & Company Inc | Marathon Petroleum |
| Best paying industry | Hospitality | Energy |
There are a few differences between an associate electrical engineer and an instrumentation & control engineer in terms of educational background:
| Associate Electrical Engineer | Instrumentation & Control Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 51% | Bachelor's Degree, 78% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Michigan Technological University | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between associate electrical engineers' and instrumentation & control engineers' demographics:
| Associate Electrical Engineer | Instrumentation & Control Engineer | |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 86.6% Female, 13.4% | Male, 90.2% Female, 9.8% |
| Race ratio | Black 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, 11.0% Asian, 14.5% White, 64.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |