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The differences between electrical research engineers 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 research engineer and an outside plant engineer. Additionally, an electrical research engineer has an average salary of $85,767, which is higher than the $85,603 average annual salary of an outside plant engineer.
The top three skills for an electrical research engineer include C++, electrical systems and MATLAB. The most important skills for an outside plant engineer are CAD, outside plant, and OSP.
| Electrical Research Engineer | Outside Plant Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $85,767 | $85,603 |
| Hourly rate | $41.23 | $41.16 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 76,225 | 34,742 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| 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.
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 research engineers and outside plant engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Electrical Research Engineer | Outside Plant Engineer | |
| Average salary | $85,767 | $85,603 |
| Salary range | Between $65,000 And $112,000 | Between $62,000 And $117,000 |
| 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 outside plant engineer in terms of educational background:
| Electrical Research Engineer | Outside Plant Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Michigan Technological University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between electrical research engineers' and outside plant engineers' demographics:
| Electrical Research Engineer | Outside Plant Engineer | |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 88.8% Female, 11.2% | Male, 85.5% Female, 14.5% |
| 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, 4.8% 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% |