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The differences between electrical & instrumentation designers and electrical engineers lead 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 & instrumentation designer and an electrical engineer lead. Additionally, an electrical engineer lead has an average salary of $111,251, which is higher than the $81,188 average annual salary of an electrical & instrumentation designer.
The top three skills for an electrical & instrumentation designer include PLC, instrumentation design and control systems. The most important skills for an electrical engineer lead are electrical engineering, autocad, and engineering design.
| Electrical & Instrumentation Designer | Electrical Engineer Lead | |
| Yearly salary | $81,188 | $111,251 |
| Hourly rate | $39.03 | $53.49 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 81,243 | 82,196 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 53% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
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.
An electrical engineer lead is an engineering professional who works with clients and internal engineers to establish project requirements and work on multiple electrical projects. Electrical engineer leads provide the cost estimation of electrical projects and prepare budget proposals as well as assign personnel with the capabilities required to complete the assigned tasks. They are required to review the calculation methods to ensure that they comply with all regulatory and project requirements. Electrical engineer leads must also accurately check the electrical design calculations for electrical loads, short circuit, and voltage drop using standard electrical engineering software.
Electrical & instrumentation designers and electrical engineers lead have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Electrical & Instrumentation Designer | Electrical Engineer Lead | |
| Average salary | $81,188 | $111,251 |
| Salary range | Between $60,000 And $109,000 | Between $83,000 And $148,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | - | Washington |
| Best paying company | - | |
| Best paying industry | - | Construction |
There are a few differences between an electrical & instrumentation designer and an electrical engineer lead in terms of educational background:
| Electrical & Instrumentation Designer | Electrical Engineer Lead | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 53% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Most common major | Drafting And Design | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Michigan Technological University | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between electrical & instrumentation designers' and electrical engineers lead' demographics:
| Electrical & Instrumentation Designer | Electrical Engineer Lead | |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 85.2% Female, 14.8% | Male, 93.2% Female, 6.8% |
| Race ratio | 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% | 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% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |