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What is a development engineer and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
Quoted Experts
Andrea Welker Ph.D.,
Brian Denton Ph.D.
introduction image

A development engineer is an individual who designs and tests new products or technology. They work in a variety of industries, including engineering, software development, and manufacturing. Development engineers are responsible for researching, developing, and implementing new technology or products to meet customer needs. They work closely with other engineers, designers, and project managers to ensure that the product meets quality standards and is delivered on time and within budget.

What general advice would you give to a Development Engineer?

Andrea Welker Ph.D.Andrea Welker Ph.D. LinkedIn Profile

Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, College of Engineering Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Villanova University

Be open to new experiences. Find a good mentor. Become a valued employee. Always remember that you are designing something for someone.
ScoreDevelopment EngineerUS Average
Salary
7.3

Avg. Salary $93,206

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level
7.4

Growth Rate 2%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity
6.4
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.11%

Asian 16.74%

Black or African American 3.07%

Hispanic or Latino 7.82%

Unknown 4.51%

White 67.76%

Gender

female 14.51%

male 85.49%

Age - 39
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 39
Stress Level
7.4

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level
8.6

Complexity Level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance
5.1

Work Life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

What are the pros and cons of being a Development Engineer?

Pros

  • Opportunity to work on challenging and interesting projects

  • Good salary and benefits

  • High demand for skilled development engineers

  • Opportunity for career growth and advancement

  • Satisfaction from seeing your designs come to life

Cons

  • Long hours and tight deadlines can lead to stress and burnout

  • High pressure to meet project goals and deadlines

  • Constant need to stay up-to-date with new technologies and industry trends

  • High level of responsibility for ensuring product safety and quality

  • May require extensive travel or relocation for job opportunities

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Development Engineer career paths

Key steps to become a development engineer

  1. Explore development engineer education requirements

    Most common development engineer degrees

    Bachelor's

    72.3 %

    Master's

    16.6 %

    Associate

    6.4 %
  2. Start to develop specific development engineer skills

    SkillsPercentages
    Java17.20%
    Python9.37%
    Software Development5.26%
    JavaScript4.73%
    Lifecycle Management4.33%
  3. Complete relevant development engineer training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of 1-2 years on post-employment, on-the-job training. New development engineers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a development engineer based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real development engineer resumes.
  4. Research development engineer duties and responsibilities

    • Used RS.exe from command line to automate report execution, export to PDF and archive to FTP site.
    • Manage Terraform and refactore from monolithic to application specific components.
    • Develop python code on Linux kernel (raspberry pi) for battery monitoring system.
    • Migrate an existing J2EE application to MVC framework.
  5. Prepare your development engineer resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your development engineer resume.

    You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a development engineer resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

    Choose From 10+ Customizable Development Engineer Resume templates

    Build a professional Development Engineer resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Development Engineer resume.
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    Development Engineer Resume
  6. Apply for development engineer jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a development engineer job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How Did You Land Your First Development Engineer Job

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Are you a Development Engineer?

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Average development engineer salary

The average Development Engineer salary in the United States is $93,206 per year or $45 per hour. Development engineer salaries range between $70,000 and $122,000 per year.

Average Development Engineer Salary
$93,206 Yearly
$44.81 hourly

What Am I Worth?

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How do development engineers rate their job?

-/5

5 Stars

4 Stars

3 Stars

2 Stars

1 Star

Development Engineer reviews

profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Oct 2023
Pros

It can gurantee you a good salary and if you are creative you can do many things.

Cons

you have to be creative.


profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Jun 2020
Pros

The Different employees i work with and what all i learn from them

Cons

very little


profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Dec 2019
Pros

Troubleshooting and commissioning

Cons

Undone job, when we're unable to discover certain fault on time.


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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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