Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between instrumentation & control engineers and radio frequency engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become an instrumentation & control engineer, becoming a radio frequency engineer takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, an instrumentation & control engineer has an average salary of $92,464, which is higher than the $88,301 average annual salary of a radio frequency engineer.
The top three skills for an instrumentation & control engineer include PLC, HMI and SCADA. The most important skills for a radio frequency engineer are test equipment, antenna, and system performance.
| Instrumentation & Control Engineer | Radio Frequency Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $92,464 | $88,301 |
| Hourly rate | $44.45 | $42.45 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 51,065 | 35,158 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 78% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 6 |
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.
A radio frequency engineer, also known as RF engineer, specializes in designing and developing communication systems using radio waves. One of their primary responsibilities revolves around creating networks and systems and testing equipment. They make sure that equipment is up to high standards by traveling to different areas as needed, troubleshooting issues to identify the root of problems and performing corrective measures required. Furthermore, a radio frequency engineer must continuously optimize equipment quality and ensure efficiency while adhering to the laws and regulations.
Instrumentation & control engineers and radio frequency engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Instrumentation & Control Engineer | Radio Frequency Engineer | |
| Average salary | $92,464 | $88,301 |
| Salary range | Between $70,000 And $121,000 | Between $67,000 And $115,000 |
| Highest paying City | Seattle, WA | Cupertino, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | California |
| Best paying company | Marathon Petroleum | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Energy | Technology |
There are a few differences between an instrumentation & control engineer and a radio frequency engineer in terms of educational background:
| Instrumentation & Control Engineer | Radio Frequency Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 78% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Michigan Technological University | Northeastern University |
Here are the differences between instrumentation & control engineers' and radio frequency engineers' demographics:
| Instrumentation & Control Engineer | Radio Frequency Engineer | |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 90.2% Female, 9.8% | Male, 91.1% Female, 8.9% |
| 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, 4.6% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 10.3% Asian, 20.7% White, 59.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |