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The differences between electrical designers and instrumentation 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 an instrumentation engineer. Additionally, an instrumentation engineer has an average salary of $88,783, 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 an instrumentation engineer are PLC, autocad, and analyzers.
| Electrical Designer | Instrumentation Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $64,930 | $88,783 |
| Hourly rate | $31.22 | $42.68 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 82,332 | 45,735 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 47% | Bachelor's Degree, 79% |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
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.
An instrumentation engineer specializes in designing and developing equipment to optimize business processes. Their responsibilities revolve around performing research and analysis to identify the needs of a company, coordinating with different departments to gather data, devising strategies to create new processes, and preparing reports and presentations for the executives. An instrumentation engineer mostly performs installations and repairs; they also conduct regular maintenance to ensure the efficiency of facilities. Furthermore, they must answer inquiries and resolve issues and concerns, all in adherence to the company's policies and regulations.
Electrical designers and instrumentation engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Electrical Designer | Instrumentation Engineer | |
| Average salary | $64,930 | $88,783 |
| Salary range | Between $47,000 And $89,000 | Between $65,000 And $119,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Cupertino, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Amd | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Government |
There are a few differences between an electrical designer and an instrumentation engineer in terms of educational background:
| Electrical Designer | Instrumentation Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 47% | Bachelor's Degree, 79% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Michigan Technological University | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between electrical designers' and instrumentation engineers' demographics:
| Electrical Designer | Instrumentation Engineer | |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 82.9% Female, 17.1% | Male, 91.2% Female, 8.8% |
| Race ratio | Black 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, 15.5% White, 63.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |