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The differences between electrical & instrumentation designers and system design 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 a system design engineer. Additionally, a system design engineer has an average salary of $107,704, 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 a system design engineer are system design, architecture, and MATLAB.
| Electrical & Instrumentation Designer | System Design Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $81,188 | $107,704 |
| Hourly rate | $39.03 | $51.78 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 81,243 | 113,582 |
| 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.
A system design engineer is an individual who participates in system design engineering and resolves manufacturing and service problems. System design engineers are required to collaborate with the system design team to research emerging technologies and develop new capabilities. They create design layouts by utilizing the use of CAD software such as AutoCad as well as supervise a group of CAD technicians. System design engineers must also provide customer service in the field and deliver individualized problem solving and system design support
Electrical & instrumentation designers and system design engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Electrical & Instrumentation Designer | System Design Engineer | |
| Average salary | $81,188 | $107,704 |
| Salary range | Between $60,000 And $109,000 | Between $77,000 And $149,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | - | California |
| Best paying company | - | Meta |
| Best paying industry | - | Automotive |
There are a few differences between an electrical & instrumentation designer and a system design engineer in terms of educational background:
| Electrical & Instrumentation Designer | System Design 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 | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between electrical & instrumentation designers' and system design engineers' demographics:
| Electrical & Instrumentation Designer | System Design Engineer | |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 85.2% Female, 14.8% | Male, 91.2% Female, 8.8% |
| 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, 4.9% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 11.4% Asian, 15.4% White, 63.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |