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The differences between communications engineers and engineering support specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a communications engineer, becoming an engineering support specialist takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a communications engineer has an average salary of $83,540, which is higher than the $70,461 average annual salary of an engineering support specialist.
The top three skills for a communications engineer include RF, unified communications and unity. The most important skills for an engineering support specialist are engineering support, CAD, and data entry.
| Communications Engineer | Engineering Support Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $83,540 | $70,461 |
| Hourly rate | $40.16 | $33.88 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 71,942 | 159,095 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 56% |
| Average age | 45 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 2 |
The duties of a communications engineer depend on one's line of work or industry of employment. Their responsibilities typically revolve around designing and developing new systems to optimize operations, performing research and assessments to identify company needs, determining the strengths and weaknesses of existing systems, and providing solutions on issues and concerns. Furthermore, as a communications engineer, it is essential to perform regular maintenance checks to ensure a safe and productive work environment, all while implementing the company's policies and regulations.
An engineering support specialist's role is vital, especially as it relates to security and databases. They ensure that all technicalities of the project, be it for the support, maintenance, or machines' operation instructions, function well. They perform troubleshooting and system updating if needed. They can also recommend ways to improve the operation by reviewing existing programs and applying new upgrades as allowed and suitable for the system. They should report any malfunctions to personnel concerned.
Communications engineers and engineering support specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Communications Engineer | Engineering Support Specialist | |
| Average salary | $83,540 | $70,461 |
| Salary range | Between $62,000 And $111,000 | Between $47,000 And $104,000 |
| Highest paying City | Palo Alto, CA | San Mateo, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Delaware |
| Best paying company | Shearman & Sterling | Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Inc. |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Technology |
There are a few differences between a communications engineer and an engineering support specialist in terms of educational background:
| Communications Engineer | Engineering Support Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 56% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between communications engineers' and engineering support specialists' demographics:
| Communications Engineer | Engineering Support Specialist | |
| Average age | 45 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 88.7% Female, 11.3% | Male, 64.3% Female, 35.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.9% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 11.4% Asian, 14.4% White, 64.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 10.0% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.2% Asian, 11.5% White, 56.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 11% |