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The differences between electrical engineering project managers and electrical & instrumentation designers 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 engineering project manager and an electrical & instrumentation designer. Additionally, an electrical engineering project manager has an average salary of $87,900, which is higher than the $81,188 average annual salary of an electrical & instrumentation designer.
The top three skills for an electrical engineering project manager include electrical engineering, project management and autocad. The most important skills for an electrical & instrumentation designer are PLC, instrumentation design, and control systems.
| Electrical Engineering Project Manager | Electrical & Instrumentation Designer | |
| Yearly salary | $87,900 | $81,188 |
| Hourly rate | $42.26 | $39.03 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 131,380 | 81,243 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Associate Degree, 53% |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
An electrical engineering project manager spearheads and manages engineering projects, ensuring operations adhere to goals and budgets. Part of their job is to participate in identifying and meeting project requirements, set daily objectives and guidelines, manage project teams, and monitor processes, addressing and resolving issues should there be any. They may also liaise and negotiate with external parties, building positive relationships in the process. Moreover, being an electrical engineering project manager, they have the responsibility to lead and encourage the workforce to reach project goals while implementing company policies and standards.
An electrical instrumentation designer's main job is to design instruments that can be used in various areas such as laboratories, power plants, or research institutes. They work together with a team or individually to design instruments, create a prototype, and test its functions. They can even install these instruments in different establishments and locations. They are tasked with repair and training engineers. At other times, they are assigned to record expenses and other documentation.
Electrical engineering project managers and electrical & instrumentation designers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Electrical Engineering Project Manager | Electrical & Instrumentation Designer | |
| Average salary | $87,900 | $81,188 |
| Salary range | Between $67,000 And $114,000 | Between $60,000 And $109,000 |
| Highest paying City | Livermore, CA | - |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | - |
| Best paying company | Calpine | - |
| Best paying industry | Energy | - |
There are a few differences between an electrical engineering project manager and an electrical & instrumentation designer in terms of educational background:
| Electrical Engineering Project Manager | Electrical & Instrumentation Designer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Associate Degree, 53% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Drafting And Design |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between electrical engineering project managers' and electrical & instrumentation designers' demographics:
| Electrical Engineering Project Manager | Electrical & Instrumentation Designer | |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 88.6% Female, 11.4% | Male, 85.2% Female, 14.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.8% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 11.0% Asian, 14.5% White, 64.8% 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, 64.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |