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The differences between controls engineers and application 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 engineer and an application engineer. Additionally, an application engineer has an average salary of $92,921, which is higher than the $84,532 average annual salary of a controls engineer.
The top three skills for a controls engineer include C++, troubleshoot and UL. The most important skills for an application engineer are technical support, java, and C++.
| Controls Engineer | Application Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $84,532 | $92,921 |
| Hourly rate | $40.64 | $44.67 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 50,203 | 111,338 |
| Job satisfaction | 4 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Average age | 45 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
A Controls Engineer is responsible for designing, developing, and supervising electrical control systems, machinery, and equipment. They oversee projects from initial concept to installation and commissioning.
An application engineer is responsible for creating and re-designing system applications based on clients' specifications and sales demands. Application engineers run diagnostic tests on software programs, identify areas of improvement, install necessary updates, upgrade optimization, revise system codes, and provide technical support for customers' needs. They also generate ideas and locate other business opportunities by analyzing current trends in the technology market that would help build revenues and increase profitability for the company. An application engineer must have a strong command of programming languages, software application processes, and general technology disciplines.
Controls engineers and application engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Controls Engineer | Application Engineer | |
| Average salary | $84,532 | $92,921 |
| Salary range | Between $64,000 And $111,000 | Between $69,000 And $125,000 |
| Highest paying City | Palo Alto, CA | Redwood City, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Apple | Morgan Lewis |
| Best paying industry | Automotive | Technology |
There are a few differences between a controls engineer and an application engineer in terms of educational background:
| Controls Engineer | Application Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Georgia Institute of Technology | Georgia Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between controls engineers' and application engineers' demographics:
| Controls Engineer | Application Engineer | |
| Average age | 45 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 90.8% Female, 9.2% | Male, 87.4% Female, 12.6% |
| Race ratio | 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% | Black or African American, 1.4% Unknown, 6.1% Hispanic or Latino, 6.7% Asian, 11.5% White, 74.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 7% |