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The differences between electrical products engineers and design engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become an electrical products engineer, becoming a design engineer takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, an electrical products engineer has an average salary of $79,249, which is higher than the $77,134 average annual salary of a design engineer.
The top three skills for an electrical products engineer include product development, C++ and UL. The most important skills for a design engineer are C++, UL, and project management.
| Electrical Products Engineer | Design Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $79,249 | $77,134 |
| Hourly rate | $38.10 | $37.08 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 57,928 | 138,173 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Average age | 45 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 6 |
An electrical product engineer works inside a factory, designing electrical products according to manufacturing standards. They are responsible for the product's completeness, from assembling parts to making it whole. They oversee staff performances, delegate tasks, and ensure safety standards are followed. They can even hire and train new staff to increase production. Ensuring safety, they also provide training and seminars, sharing basic knowledge of electricity and how to avoid accidents involving equipment.
A design engineer is responsible for creating systems and applications based on their expertise. Design engineers work through client specifications based on business needs. A design engineer also provides recommendations on improving existing systems to boost its performance and increase efficiency. Design engineers must have an excellent command of computer systems, programming codes, and technical data to ensure the system's stability and high-quality processes. A design engineer should also have strong analytical and time-management skills to perform tasks and meet deadlines.
Electrical products engineers and design engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Electrical Products Engineer | Design Engineer | |
| Average salary | $79,249 | $77,134 |
| Salary range | Between $59,000 And $105,000 | Between $57,000 And $102,000 |
| Highest paying City | Richmond, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Apple | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Automotive | Technology |
There are a few differences between an electrical products engineer and a design engineer in terms of educational background:
| Electrical Products Engineer | Design Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Michigan Technological University | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between electrical products engineers' and design engineers' demographics:
| Electrical Products Engineer | Design Engineer | |
| Average age | 45 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 89.4% Female, 10.6% | Male, 88.9% Female, 11.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.9% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 11.5% Asian, 14.9% White, 63.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 3.2% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 8.2% Asian, 16.8% White, 67.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 5% |