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The differences between communications engineers and systems engineers 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 a systems engineer takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a communications engineer has an average salary of $83,540, which is higher than the $82,834 average annual salary of a systems engineer.
The top three skills for a communications engineer include RF, unified communications and unity. The most important skills for a systems engineer are python, linux, and C++.
| Communications Engineer | Systems Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $83,540 | $82,834 |
| Hourly rate | $40.16 | $39.82 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 21% |
| Number of jobs | 71,942 | 145,936 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Average age | 45 | 39 |
| 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.
Systems engineers are responsible for creating and overseeing systems related to the overall operations of the organization. They are in charge of assessing the organization's needs in terms of systems and creating plans to address these needs. These systems are usually related to the production or manufacturing of company products. Systems engineers create end-to-end processes that ensure efficiency and effectiveness. They make sure that the processes they put in place adhere to safety and security policies and guidelines. They also do routine checks and continuously find ways to further improve production and other systems.
Communications engineers and systems engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Communications Engineer | Systems Engineer | |
| Average salary | $83,540 | $82,834 |
| Salary range | Between $62,000 And $111,000 | Between $62,000 And $109,000 |
| Highest paying City | Palo Alto, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Shearman & Sterling | The Citadel |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Automotive |
There are a few differences between a communications engineer and a systems engineer in terms of educational background:
| Communications Engineer | Systems Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Stanford University | California State University - Long Beach |
Here are the differences between communications engineers' and systems engineers' demographics:
| Communications Engineer | Systems Engineer | |
| Average age | 45 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 88.7% Female, 11.3% | Male, 86.1% Female, 13.9% |
| 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, 4.7% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 8.4% Asian, 29.7% White, 52.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 8% |