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The differences between electrical research engineers 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 research engineer and an electrical & instrumentation designer. Additionally, an electrical research engineer has an average salary of $85,767, which is higher than the $81,188 average annual salary of an electrical & instrumentation designer.
The top three skills for an electrical research engineer include C++, electrical systems and MATLAB. The most important skills for an electrical & instrumentation designer are PLC, instrumentation design, and control systems.
| Electrical Research Engineer | Electrical & Instrumentation Designer | |
| Yearly salary | $85,767 | $81,188 |
| Hourly rate | $41.23 | $39.03 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 76,225 | 81,243 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Associate Degree, 53% |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
The electrical research engineers are responsible for conducting research, designing and developing new and innovative electrical products or systems, and evaluate them to improve existing technical processes. They have strong analytical and critical thinking skills and professional competency to perform intensive research and collaborate on standards for procedures, and design testing methods to identify problems and solutions. Being an electrical research engineer is essential to a company since the job involves innovation and development processes.
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 research engineers and electrical & instrumentation designers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Electrical Research Engineer | Electrical & Instrumentation Designer | |
| Average salary | $85,767 | $81,188 |
| Salary range | Between $65,000 And $112,000 | Between $60,000 And $109,000 |
| Highest paying City | Redmond, WA | - |
| Highest paying state | Washington | - |
| Best paying company | Microsoft | - |
| Best paying industry | Utilities | - |
There are a few differences between an electrical research engineer and an electrical & instrumentation designer in terms of educational background:
| Electrical Research Engineer | Electrical & Instrumentation Designer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Associate Degree, 53% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Drafting And Design |
| Most common college | Michigan Technological University | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between electrical research engineers' and electrical & instrumentation designers' demographics:
| Electrical Research Engineer | Electrical & Instrumentation Designer | |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 88.8% Female, 11.2% | Male, 85.2% Female, 14.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.6% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 10.5% Asian, 21.4% White, 58.6% 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% |