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The differences between electronics test engineers and customer 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 test engineer and a customer engineer. Additionally, a customer engineer has an average salary of $101,212, which is higher than the $80,610 average annual salary of an electronics test engineer.
The top three skills for an electronics test engineer include RF, labview and C++. The most important skills for a customer engineer are customer service, technical problems, and level agreements.
| Electronics Test Engineer | Customer Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $80,610 | $101,212 |
| Hourly rate | $38.75 | $48.66 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 70,182 | 44,709 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 46% |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
An electronics test engineer tests plans for use on electronic products, components, and systems. As an electronics test engineer, you will be responsible for evaluating and testing these products to ensure their quality. This role will require you to perform other tasks that include developing digital test patterns for mix signal testing and ASIC, developing procedures and test plans for electronic components and systems, and writing instructions for system assembly. You will also be responsible for evaluating the performance of electronic systems and providing recommendations for improvements.
A customer engineer provides technical support to organizations having issues with their products or services. Duties and responsibilities may vary depending on the sector, but generally include diagnosing and troubleshooting technical problems with products, performing tests, upgrades and diagnostics to prevent delay or downtime caused by-product issues, and keeping updated reports outlining the problems and measures taken to resolve them. A customer engineer is also responsible for discussing service contracts and their benefits with clients.
Electronics test engineers and customer engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Electronics Test Engineer | Customer Engineer | |
| Average salary | $80,610 | $101,212 |
| Salary range | Between $60,000 And $107,000 | Between $77,000 And $131,000 |
| Highest paying City | Santa Clara, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Synaptics | |
| Best paying industry | Automotive | Start-up |
There are a few differences between an electronics test engineer and a customer engineer in terms of educational background:
| Electronics Test Engineer | Customer Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 46% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Northeastern University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between electronics test engineers' and customer engineers' demographics:
| Electronics Test Engineer | Customer Engineer | |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 94.3% Female, 5.7% | Male, 90.4% Female, 9.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.9% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 11.4% Asian, 14.4% White, 64.5% 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% |