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The differences between hardware development engineers and managers, hardware engineering can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a hardware development engineer and a manager, hardware engineering. Additionally, a manager, hardware engineering has an average salary of $148,792, which is higher than the $119,370 average annual salary of a hardware development engineer.
The top three skills for a hardware development engineer include hardware development, analog and PCB. The most important skills for a manager, hardware engineering are RF, hardware engineering, and hardware development.
| Hardware Development Engineer | Manager, Hardware Engineering | |
| Yearly salary | $119,370 | $148,792 |
| Hourly rate | $57.39 | $71.53 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 100,593 | 63,636 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 77% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A hardware development engineer carries out an analysis of the requirements of a needed product and tries to develop a prototype, taking into consideration the cost and specifications. You're also expected to work on already existing products and seek ways to modify them. You will be in charge of your team members and oversee all they do. Some of the hardware you may be required to design and test includes microprocessors, routers, keyboards, circuit boards, etc.
Managerial experience is a must if you want to be a hardware engineering manager. Mainly, they are tasked to oversee and monitor everything that is happening in an engineering department. They need to ensure that all the hardware equipment and products are being utilized properly and orderly. Engineering managers coordinate with the suppliers, contractors, manufacturers as well as clients to provide them a quality of service.
Hardware development engineers and managers, hardware engineering have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Hardware Development Engineer | Manager, Hardware Engineering | |
| Average salary | $119,370 | $148,792 |
| Salary range | Between $88,000 And $161,000 | Between $111,000 And $198,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Everett, WA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Washington |
| Best paying company | Apple | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a hardware development engineer and a manager, hardware engineering in terms of educational background:
| Hardware Development Engineer | Manager, Hardware Engineering | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 77% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Northeastern University | Northeastern University |
Here are the differences between hardware development engineers' and managers, hardware engineering' demographics:
| Hardware Development Engineer | Manager, Hardware Engineering | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 87.2% Female, 12.8% | Male, 92.2% Female, 7.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.1% Unknown, 2.9% Hispanic or Latino, 10.5% Asian, 29.7% White, 50.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 7.1% Unknown, 2.8% Hispanic or Latino, 9.3% Asian, 29.8% White, 50.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 4% |