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The differences between automation & controls engineers and customer 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 automation & controls engineer and a customer engineer. Additionally, a customer engineer has an average salary of $101,212, which is higher than the $89,542 average annual salary of an automation & controls engineer.
The top three skills for an automation & controls engineer include PLC, HMI and troubleshoot. The most important skills for a customer engineer are customer service, technical problems, and level agreements.
| Automation & Controls Engineer | Customer Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $89,542 | $101,212 |
| Hourly rate | $43.05 | $48.66 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 54,312 | 44,709 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 46% |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
An automation & controls engineer is responsible for designing technology systems to support business operations and maximize productivity, minimizing costing effects, and develop efficient and fast deliverables. Automation & controls engineers analyze client specifications and business requirements, running multiple diagnostic and troubleshooting tests to ensure the accuracy of outputs according to budget limitations and project management procedures. They must have excellent knowledge of the technology industry, especially on writing system codes and a strong command of programming languages.
A customer engineer provides technical support to organizations having issues with their products or services. Duties and responsibilities may vary depending on the sector, but generally include diagnosing and troubleshooting technical problems with products, performing tests, upgrades and diagnostics to prevent delay or downtime caused by-product issues, and keeping updated reports outlining the problems and measures taken to resolve them. A customer engineer is also responsible for discussing service contracts and their benefits with clients.
Automation & controls engineers and customer engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Automation & Controls Engineer | Customer Engineer | |
| Average salary | $89,542 | $101,212 |
| Salary range | Between $68,000 And $116,000 | Between $77,000 And $131,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Carlos, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Integrated DNA Technologies | |
| Best paying industry | Automotive | Start-up |
There are a few differences between an automation & controls engineer and a customer engineer in terms of educational background:
| Automation & Controls Engineer | Customer Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 46% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Northeastern University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between automation & controls engineers' and customer engineers' demographics:
| Automation & Controls Engineer | Customer Engineer | |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 94.5% Female, 5.5% | Male, 90.4% Female, 9.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 5.0% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 11.6% Asian, 14.3% White, 64.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 4.8% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 11.1% Asian, 14.5% White, 64.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |