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Electrical engineer internship vs field engineer

The differences between electrical engineer interns 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 engineer internship and a field engineer. Additionally, a field engineer has an average salary of $71,874, which is higher than the $63,398 average annual salary of an electrical engineer internship.

The top three skills for an electrical engineer internship include C++, analog and revit. The most important skills for a field engineer are customer service, customer satisfaction, and project management.

Electrical engineer internship vs field engineer overview

Electrical Engineer InternshipField Engineer
Yearly salary$63,398$71,874
Hourly rate$30.48$34.55
Growth rate3%3%
Number of jobs80,74486,015
Job satisfaction53
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 74%Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Average age4545
Years of experience22

What does an electrical engineer internship do?

The electrical engineer internship offers tasks to undergraduate engineering students related to electrical systems analysis and branch circuiting, site investigations, lighting calculations, and design drawings by complementing theoretical knowledge with practical duties on the job to gain experience and increase marketability. Through the internship, the undergraduate engineering students may develop professional aptitude, strengthen their character, and may increase their confidence in their work as it prepares them for what to expect in their 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 engineer internship vs field engineer salary

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

Electrical Engineer InternshipField Engineer
Average salary$63,398$71,874
Salary rangeBetween $44,000 And $90,000Between $51,000 And $99,000
Highest paying CityBellevue, WASan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateWashingtonWashington
Best paying companyKLAMeta
Best paying industryHospitalityEnergy

Differences between electrical engineer internship and field engineer education

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

Electrical Engineer InternshipField Engineer
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 74%Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Most common majorElectrical EngineeringElectrical Engineering
Most common collegeMichigan Technological UniversityMassachusetts Institute of Technology

Electrical engineer internship vs field engineer demographics

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

Electrical Engineer InternshipField Engineer
Average age4545
Gender ratioMale, 86.9% Female, 13.1%Male, 92.7% Female, 7.3%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 4.7% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 10.9% Asian, 19.7% White, 59.9% 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 engineer internship and field engineer duties and responsibilities

Electrical engineer internship example responsibilities.

  • Coordinate with senior electrical engineers and achieve hands-on experience on coal fire plant power generation and power transformers, circuit breakers.
  • Design hardware and firmware for HVAC user interface project.
  • Board interface Wiznet TCP/IP chip and Ethernet switch controllers.
  • Debug and repair malfunction circuits boards used to control custom scientific apparatus.
  • Prepare engineering specifications, schematics, and bill of materials (BOM).
  • Provide a study of the cost saving of using solar power versus ac power.
  • 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 engineer internship vs field engineer skills

Common electrical engineer internship skills
  • C++, 6%
  • Analog, 5%
  • Revit, 5%
  • CAD, 5%
  • PowerPoint, 5%
  • RF, 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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