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Electrical designer vs field engineer

The differences between electrical designers and field engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both an electrical designer and a field engineer. Additionally, a field engineer has an average salary of $71,874, which is higher than the $64,930 average annual salary of an electrical designer.

The top three skills for an electrical designer include revit, electrical design and autocad electrical. The most important skills for a field engineer are customer service, customer satisfaction, and project management.

Electrical designer vs field engineer overview

Electrical DesignerField Engineer
Yearly salary$64,930$71,874
Hourly rate$31.22$34.55
Growth rate3%3%
Number of jobs82,33286,015
Job satisfaction-3
Most common degreeAssociate Degree, 47%Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Average age4545
Years of experience22

What does an electrical designer do?

An electrical designer designs and develops electrical circuit and system layouts for electric power distribution. The responsibilities of an electrical designer include assembling electrical panels and leading a team of document control personnel in-charged to identify and organize facility maintenance drawings. The position requires good initiative, writing, speaking, and mathematical skills to accomplish such responsibilities. The job's education requirements include possessing a college degree in electrical engineering, design, or a related field.

What does a field engineer do?

A field engineer's role will vary on the industry or line of work involved. However, the primary responsibility will mostly revolve around handling equipment and machinery, ensuring that they function effectively and safely. It is also the task of a field engineer to oversee the workflow and workforce, giving directions and recommendations when necessary. Furthermore, a field engineer must develop strategies and plans to improve the site's efficiency, produce progress reports, and coordinate with other workers.

Electrical designer vs field engineer salary

Electrical designers and field engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Electrical DesignerField Engineer
Average salary$64,930$71,874
Salary rangeBetween $47,000 And $89,000Between $51,000 And $99,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CASan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateCaliforniaWashington
Best paying companyAmdMeta
Best paying industryManufacturingEnergy

Differences between electrical designer and field engineer education

There are a few differences between an electrical designer and a field engineer in terms of educational background:

Electrical DesignerField Engineer
Most common degreeAssociate Degree, 47%Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Most common majorElectrical EngineeringElectrical Engineering
Most common collegeMichigan Technological UniversityMassachusetts Institute of Technology

Electrical designer vs field engineer demographics

Here are the differences between electrical designers' and field engineers' demographics:

Electrical DesignerField Engineer
Average age4545
Gender ratioMale, 82.9% Female, 17.1%Male, 92.7% Female, 7.3%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 4.8% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 11.2% Asian, 14.4% White, 64.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%Black or African American, 4.9% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 11.5% Asian, 14.3% White, 64.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage6%6%

Differences between electrical designer and field engineer duties and responsibilities

Electrical designer example responsibilities.

  • Manage database for PDF drawings and other electronic files.
  • Design control systems to NFPA, UL, and CE specifications to comply with country-specific standards.
  • Work conduct using PDMS, NavisWorks and AutoCAD.
  • Used INTOOLS to input instrument tags into index, customize reports & import data from PDMS into INTOOLS.
  • Integrate electrical & electronic designs into custom automation equipment using 2D & 3D design software (AutoCAD & SolidWorks).
  • Convert various units to DCS for ExxonMobil.
  • Show more

Field engineer example responsibilities.

  • Promote from original position as a staff engineer managing a variety of geotechnical engineering activities to a field engineer inspector position.
  • Assign IP addresses to the correct users.
  • Install VMware servers and configure to customer needs.
  • Recommend improvements to HSE tools, processes, and policies.
  • Operate, troubleshoot and maintain million-dollar MX-20HD camera surveillance systems.
  • Install boards and drives, as well as windows operating system.
  • Show more

Electrical designer vs field engineer skills

Common electrical designer skills
  • Revit, 14%
  • Electrical Design, 11%
  • Autocad Electrical, 5%
  • UL, 5%
  • Electrical Systems, 5%
  • Electrical Schematics, 4%
Common field engineer skills
  • Customer Service, 9%
  • Customer Satisfaction, 8%
  • Project Management, 6%
  • Azure, 6%
  • Technical Support, 5%
  • Test Equipment, 4%

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