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Electronics engineer vs control systems engineer

The differences between electronics engineers and control systems engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both an electronics engineer and a control systems engineer. Additionally, an electronics engineer has an average salary of $93,985, which is higher than the $92,727 average annual salary of a control systems engineer.

The top three skills for an electronics engineer include analog, RF and power electronics. The most important skills for a control systems engineer are PLC, HMI, and C++.

Electronics engineer vs control systems engineer overview

Electronics EngineerControl Systems Engineer
Yearly salary$93,985$92,727
Hourly rate$45.19$44.58
Growth rate3%3%
Number of jobs83,870133,220
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 68%Bachelor's Degree, 74%
Average age4545
Years of experience66

What does an electronics engineer do?

An electronics engineer specializes in designing and developing electronic components and systems, ensuring efficiency in all aspects. They are primarily responsible for conducting tests and maintenance for systems, identifying any faults or inconsistencies, and performing corrective measures right away. Moreover, an electronics engineer must coordinate with clients to consult them on their needs and meet with other skilled engineers to ensure optimal quality of equipment. An electronics engineer may also perform administrative tasks, mainly to produce progress reports and presentations, manage schedules, and craft instructional written materials for all electronic systems.

What does a control systems engineer do?

Control systems engineers are interdisciplinary engineers managing the company's control systems. They are expected to be familiar with different engineering disciplines such as mechanical, industrial, and computer science, among others. They are responsible for designing systems based on the company's requirements. Control systems engineers must conduct feasibility studies to ensure that the company's requirements can be met. They are also responsible for developing the systems, creating prototypes, and testing. They test whether the control systems produce desired results. After testing, control systems engineers implement the system and conduct routine maintenance checks.

Electronics engineer vs control systems engineer salary

Electronics engineers and control systems engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Electronics EngineerControl Systems Engineer
Average salary$93,985$92,727
Salary rangeBetween $68,000 And $129,000Between $72,000 And $118,000
Highest paying CityBerkeley, CASan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateRhode IslandCalifornia
Best paying companyMetaApple
Best paying industryTechnologyAutomotive

Differences between electronics engineer and control systems engineer education

There are a few differences between an electronics engineer and a control systems engineer in terms of educational background:

Electronics EngineerControl Systems Engineer
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 68%Bachelor's Degree, 74%
Most common majorElectrical EngineeringElectrical Engineering
Most common collegeNortheastern UniversityGeorgia Institute of Technology

Electronics engineer vs control systems engineer demographics

Here are the differences between electronics engineers' and control systems engineers' demographics:

Electronics EngineerControl Systems Engineer
Average age4545
Gender ratioMale, 91.2% Female, 8.8%Male, 90.5% Female, 9.5%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 4.9% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 11.4% Asian, 15.8% White, 63.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%Black or African American, 5.0% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 11.6% Asian, 15.4% White, 63.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage6%6%

Differences between electronics engineer and control systems engineer duties and responsibilities

Electronics engineer example responsibilities.

  • Lead manufacturing testing effort for VT-1 missile program.
  • Manage technicians throughout design, development, construction, testing, ISO quality assurance, and field/flight/wind tunnel test support phases.
  • Design automated lab system for troubleshooting HVAC PC boards in AMTRAK trains, to achieve shorter fault diagnostics time lab repairs.
  • Manage technicians during prototyping stage.
  • Coordinate with senior electrical engineers and achieve hands-on experience on coal fire plant power generation and power transformers, circuit breakers.
  • Interface with firmware team to define and develop custom FPGA RTL.
  • Show more

Control systems engineer example responsibilities.

  • Lead the development of smarter controls utilizing DeviceNet and Profibus architecture.
  • Establish communication links and prepare machines for bench-testing to attain UL certification.
  • Research NFPA, ISA, NEC, OSHA, specs and standards.
  • Install Allen-Bradley PLCS, interface to DCS.
  • Set up Ethernet communications from K-tron feeders back to DCS.
  • Assist commissioning team of gas analyzers for ISO compliance of equipment.
  • Show more

Electronics engineer vs control systems engineer skills

Common electronics engineer skills
  • Analog, 6%
  • RF, 6%
  • Power Electronics, 6%
  • DOD, 4%
  • Test Equipment, 4%
  • PCB, 4%
Common control systems engineer skills
  • PLC, 9%
  • HMI, 8%
  • C++, 7%
  • MATLAB, 6%
  • Simulink, 5%
  • Troubleshoot, 4%

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