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The differences between instrumentation & control engineers and electrical design 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 instrumentation & control engineer and an electrical design engineer. Additionally, an instrumentation & control engineer has an average salary of $92,464, which is higher than the $83,944 average annual salary of an electrical design engineer.
The top three skills for an instrumentation & control engineer include PLC, HMI and SCADA. The most important skills for an electrical design engineer are electrical design, revit, and electrical systems.
| Instrumentation & Control Engineer | Electrical Design Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $92,464 | $83,944 |
| Hourly rate | $44.45 | $40.36 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 51,065 | 87,121 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 78% | Bachelor's Degree, 75% |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
An instrumentation and control engineer is responsible for installing and designing technical components for engineering systems that would support production and manufacturing processes. Instrumentation and control engineers inspect control systems, modify features and infrastructure, configure controllers, and run multiple quality checks to ensure stability and optimal performance. They must have excellent communication and technical skills, especially in developing system codes and analyzing programming languages to serve control functions and development. An instrumentation and control engineer also resolves system issues and write resolution reports for reference.
An electrical design engineer develops electrical systems for different applications. Electrical design engineers create system layouts and specifications. They test the systems and make some adjustments whenever necessary. The solutions they create range from component designs to large systems. The set of skills imperative for this job include good technical abilities, teamwork, motivation for extra work hours, ability to execute job under pressure, and enthusiasm. They should also be savvy in technology and innovation.
Instrumentation & control engineers and electrical design engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Instrumentation & Control Engineer | Electrical Design Engineer | |
| Average salary | $92,464 | $83,944 |
| Salary range | Between $70,000 And $121,000 | Between $63,000 And $110,000 |
| Highest paying City | Seattle, WA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Washington |
| Best paying company | Marathon Petroleum | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Energy | Technology |
There are a few differences between an instrumentation & control engineer and an electrical design engineer in terms of educational background:
| Instrumentation & Control Engineer | Electrical Design Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 78% | Bachelor's Degree, 75% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Michigan Technological University | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between instrumentation & control engineers' and electrical design engineers' demographics:
| Instrumentation & Control Engineer | Electrical Design Engineer | |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 90.2% Female, 9.8% | Male, 89.9% Female, 10.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.8% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 11.0% Asian, 14.5% White, 64.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 4.9% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 11.3% Asian, 14.4% White, 64.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |