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The differences between instrumentation & control engineers and electrical 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 engineer. Additionally, an instrumentation & control engineer has an average salary of $92,464, which is higher than the $81,026 average annual salary of an electrical engineer.
The top three skills for an instrumentation & control engineer include PLC, HMI and SCADA. The most important skills for an electrical engineer are autocad, electrical systems, and UL.
| Instrumentation & Control Engineer | Electrical Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $92,464 | $81,026 |
| Hourly rate | $44.45 | $38.95 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 51,065 | 68,536 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 78% | Bachelor's Degree, 76% |
| 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.
Electrical engineers are responsible for designing and developing new electrical systems, solving issues, and testing equipment. They work on various technologies, including telecommunication systems, satellite communications, and electrical power stations. Electrical engineers study and apply the mathematics and physics of electromagnetism, electronics, and electricity to small and large-scale electrical systems to transmit energy and process information. They often work with all types of electronic devices, such as supercomputers and power transmission. They also work in the emerging field of microelectronics.
Instrumentation & control engineers and electrical engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Instrumentation & Control Engineer | Electrical Engineer | |
| Average salary | $92,464 | $81,026 |
| Salary range | Between $70,000 And $121,000 | Between $59,000 And $109,000 |
| Highest paying City | Seattle, WA | Redmond, WA |
| 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 engineer in terms of educational background:
| Instrumentation & Control Engineer | Electrical Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 78% | Bachelor's Degree, 76% |
| 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 engineers' demographics:
| Instrumentation & Control Engineer | Electrical Engineer | |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 90.2% Female, 9.8% | Male, 90.0% Female, 10.0% |
| 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, 4.8% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 11.1% Asian, 16.2% White, 63.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |