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The differences between designers and requirements engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-12 months to become a designer, becoming a requirements engineer takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a requirements engineer has an average salary of $87,170, which is higher than the $66,347 average annual salary of a designer.
The top three skills for a designer include sketch, customer service and graphic design. The most important skills for a requirements engineer are java, software development, and powerpoint.
| Designer | Requirements Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $66,347 | $87,170 |
| Hourly rate | $31.90 | $41.91 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 21% |
| Number of jobs | 52,433 | 166,444 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Average age | 38 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 4 |
A designer is someone who creates a master plan of the look or workings of something before it will be made. It could be tangible or intangible objects, products, procedures, laws, events, games, graphics, services, and even experiences. Designers are creative thinkers with a great eye to configure the skeletal and structural properties of the targeted output. They work in several fields, such as fashion, architecture, web graphics, and user experience. In spite of the variety of professionals in the design industry, all of them are artistic, passionate, inspiring, and emotionally connected to their projects and brands.
Requirements engineers are responsible for the analysis, documentation, coordination, and management of requirements regarding new software projects. They identify and understand the customer's project-specific demands and document them in a clear and binding way. Their duties and responsibilities also include preparing well-written and detailed documentation of the project and ensuring the project is designed and built within the legal parameters.
Designers and requirements engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Designer | Requirements Engineer | |
| Average salary | $66,347 | $87,170 |
| Salary range | Between $45,000 And $97,000 | Between $62,000 And $120,000 |
| Highest paying City | Seattle, WA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | The Citadel |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a designer and a requirements engineer in terms of educational background:
| Designer | Requirements Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Most common major | Graphic Design | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between designers' and requirements engineers' demographics:
| Designer | Requirements Engineer | |
| Average age | 38 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 56.9% Female, 43.1% | Male, 64.5% Female, 35.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.4% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 10.6% Asian, 10.4% White, 70.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 4.6% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 8.3% Asian, 29.8% White, 52.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 13% | 8% |