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The differences between electrical & instrumentation designers and outside plant 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 & instrumentation designer and an outside plant engineer. Additionally, an outside plant engineer has an average salary of $85,603, 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 outside plant engineer are CAD, outside plant, and OSP.
| Electrical & Instrumentation Designer | Outside Plant Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $81,188 | $85,603 |
| Hourly rate | $39.03 | $41.16 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 81,243 | 34,742 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 53% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| 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.
The job of an outside plant engineer revolves around design, constructing, and maintaining plant infrastructure, engineering, and conducting route analysis of aerial and underground fiber-optic installations. Typical day-to-day duties include assisting clients in resolving issues when they arise, developing engineering plans, schedules, and costs relevant to the projects, and providing guidance on telecommunication issues. As an outside plant engineer, you need to ensure the proper installation of the infrastructure and the availability of fiber cable storage, access, and termination equipment.
Electrical & instrumentation designers and outside plant engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Electrical & Instrumentation Designer | Outside Plant Engineer | |
| Average salary | $81,188 | $85,603 |
| Salary range | Between $60,000 And $109,000 | Between $62,000 And $117,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | - |
| Highest paying state | - | - |
| Best paying company | - | - |
| Best paying industry | - | - |
There are a few differences between an electrical & instrumentation designer and an outside plant engineer in terms of educational background:
| Electrical & Instrumentation Designer | Outside Plant Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 53% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Most common major | Drafting And Design | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Michigan Technological University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between electrical & instrumentation designers' and outside plant engineers' demographics:
| Electrical & Instrumentation Designer | Outside Plant Engineer | |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 85.2% Female, 14.8% | Male, 85.5% Female, 14.5% |
| 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, 11.1% Asian, 14.5% White, 64.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |