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The differences between controls design 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 a controls design engineer and a customer engineer. Additionally, a customer engineer has an average salary of $101,212, which is higher than the $90,850 average annual salary of a controls design engineer.
The top three skills for a controls design engineer include autocad, PLC and CAD. The most important skills for a customer engineer are customer service, technical problems, and level agreements.
| Controls Design Engineer | Customer Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $90,850 | $101,212 |
| Hourly rate | $43.68 | $48.66 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 95,461 | 44,709 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Bachelor's Degree, 46% |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
It is the responsibility of a controls design engineer to research and design a company's new systems and products. Controls design engineers oversee the production of complicated equipment and systems. They perform tests and analyze the design use associated with the system's element function. Part of their job is to seek consistent system results and operation within specific tolerances. They also draft blueprints, oversee manufacturing processes, and establish test prototypes.
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.
Controls design engineers and customer engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Controls Design Engineer | Customer Engineer | |
| Average salary | $90,850 | $101,212 |
| Salary range | Between $69,000 And $119,000 | Between $77,000 And $131,000 |
| Highest paying City | Cupertino, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Apple | |
| Best paying industry | Automotive | Start-up |
There are a few differences between a controls design engineer and a customer engineer in terms of educational background:
| Controls Design Engineer | Customer Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Bachelor's Degree, 46% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Georgia Institute of Technology | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between controls design engineers' and customer engineers' demographics:
| Controls Design Engineer | Customer Engineer | |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 89.6% Female, 10.4% | Male, 90.4% Female, 9.6% |
| 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, 4.8% 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% |