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Electrical test engineer vs electrical designer

The differences between electrical test engineers and electrical 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 test engineer and an electrical designer. Additionally, an electrical test engineer has an average salary of $74,723, which is higher than the $64,930 average annual salary of an electrical designer.

The top three skills for an electrical test engineer include data analysis, labview and C++. The most important skills for an electrical designer are revit, electrical design, and autocad electrical.

Electrical test engineer vs electrical designer overview

Electrical Test EngineerElectrical Designer
Yearly salary$74,723$64,930
Hourly rate$35.92$31.22
Growth rate3%3%
Number of jobs69,79382,332
Job satisfaction4-
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 72%Associate Degree, 47%
Average age4545
Years of experience22

What does an electrical test engineer do?

An electrical test engineer specializes in developing test structures to ensure the quality and efficiency of electrical systems and equipment. Among their responsibilities include understanding and identifying the needs of electrical projects, troubleshooting errors, gathering and analyzing materials to find defects and inconsistencies, conducting tests and examinations, and analyzing test results. Moreover, an electrical test engineer must also study and identify the root of problems, recommending and implementing solutions while adhering to the company's policies and regulations.

What does an electrical designer do?

An electrical designer designs and develops electrical circuit and system layouts for electric power distribution. The responsibilities of an electrical designer include assembling electrical panels and leading a team of document control personnel in-charged to identify and organize facility maintenance drawings. The position requires good initiative, writing, speaking, and mathematical skills to accomplish such responsibilities. The job's education requirements include possessing a college degree in electrical engineering, design, or a related field.

Electrical test engineer vs electrical designer salary

Electrical test engineers and electrical designers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Electrical Test EngineerElectrical Designer
Average salary$74,723$64,930
Salary rangeBetween $56,000 And $98,000Between $47,000 And $89,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CASan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateCaliforniaCalifornia
Best paying companyMetaAmd
Best paying industryAutomotiveManufacturing

Differences between electrical test engineer and electrical designer education

There are a few differences between an electrical test engineer and an electrical designer in terms of educational background:

Electrical Test EngineerElectrical Designer
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 72%Associate Degree, 47%
Most common majorElectrical EngineeringElectrical Engineering
Most common collegeMichigan Technological UniversityMichigan Technological University

Electrical test engineer vs electrical designer demographics

Here are the differences between electrical test engineers' and electrical designers' demographics:

Electrical Test EngineerElectrical Designer
Average age4545
Gender ratioMale, 91.4% Female, 8.6%Male, 82.9% Female, 17.1%
Race ratioBlack 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%Black or African American, 4.8% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 11.2% Asian, 14.4% White, 64.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage6%6%

Differences between electrical test engineer and electrical designer duties and responsibilities

Electrical test engineer example responsibilities.

  • Manage drafting and software group, write equipment specifications, BOMS, test, and installation procedures.
  • Coordinate with senior electrical engineers and achieve hands-on experience on coal fire plant power generation and power transformers, circuit breakers.
  • Work with management in obtaining UL approval.
  • Used MATLAB to analyze data for clients.
  • Perform the burn-in test battery on all displays.
  • Modele PZT ceramic and piezo film parameters using MATLAB.
  • Show more

Electrical designer example responsibilities.

  • Manage database for PDF drawings and other electronic files.
  • Design control systems to NFPA, UL, and CE specifications to comply with country-specific standards.
  • Work conduct using PDMS, NavisWorks and AutoCAD.
  • Used INTOOLS to input instrument tags into index, customize reports & import data from PDMS into INTOOLS.
  • Integrate electrical & electronic designs into custom automation equipment using 2D & 3D design software (AutoCAD & SolidWorks).
  • Convert various units to DCS for ExxonMobil.
  • Show more

Electrical test engineer vs electrical designer skills

Common electrical test engineer skills
  • Data Analysis, 7%
  • LabVIEW, 7%
  • C++, 6%
  • Data Acquisition, 6%
  • Test Procedures, 5%
  • Test Results, 4%
Common electrical designer skills
  • Revit, 14%
  • Electrical Design, 11%
  • Autocad Electrical, 5%
  • UL, 5%
  • Electrical Systems, 5%
  • Electrical Schematics, 4%

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