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Instrumentation electrician vs electrical engineer

The differences between instrumentation electricians and electrical engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-12 months to become an instrumentation electrician, becoming an electrical engineer takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, an electrical engineer has an average salary of $81,026, which is higher than the $59,130 average annual salary of an instrumentation electrician.

The top three skills for an instrumentation electrician include PLC, control systems and ladders. The most important skills for an electrical engineer are autocad, electrical systems, and UL.

Instrumentation electrician vs electrical engineer overview

Instrumentation ElectricianElectrical Engineer
Yearly salary$59,130$81,026
Hourly rate$28.43$38.95
Growth rate7%3%
Number of jobs15,82968,536
Job satisfaction-4
Most common degreeAssociate Degree, 56%Bachelor's Degree, 76%
Average age4245
Years of experience122

Instrumentation electrician vs electrical engineer salary

Instrumentation electricians and electrical engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Instrumentation ElectricianElectrical Engineer
Average salary$59,130$81,026
Salary rangeBetween $42,000 And $81,000Between $59,000 And $109,000
Highest paying City-Redmond, WA
Highest paying state-Washington
Best paying company-Apple
Best paying industry-Technology

Differences between instrumentation electrician and electrical engineer education

There are a few differences between an instrumentation electrician and an electrical engineer in terms of educational background:

Instrumentation ElectricianElectrical Engineer
Most common degreeAssociate Degree, 56%Bachelor's Degree, 76%
Most common majorElectrical EngineeringElectrical Engineering
Most common college-Michigan Technological University

Instrumentation electrician vs electrical engineer demographics

Here are the differences between instrumentation electricians' and electrical engineers' demographics:

Instrumentation ElectricianElectrical Engineer
Average age4245
Gender ratioMale, 95.7% Female, 4.3%Male, 90.0% Female, 10.0%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 7.5% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 22.2% Asian, 2.2% White, 63.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%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 Percentage3%6%

Differences between instrumentation electrician and electrical engineer duties and responsibilities

Instrumentation electrician example responsibilities.

  • Repair or replace rectifier controls for DC motors.
  • Adhere to OSHA and EPA regulations in manufacturing industry.
  • Fasten small metal or plastic boxes to well in house electrical switches and outlets.
  • Help to set up computer networks for the PLC's and illusion to work to gather.
  • Perform Electrical/Mechanical/Hydraulic maintenance on CNC machinery.
  • Perform Electrical/Mechanical/Hydraulic maintenance on CNC machinery.

Electrical engineer example responsibilities.

  • Achieve rugged secure extension of HMI modules with USB host and device auto switching capability.
  • Achieve low cost solution for professional tier radio with rug full color display and USB accessory interface.
  • Accomplish intelligent remote terminal unit (RTU) automatic control with graphical liquid crystal display (LCD).
  • Develop LabVIEW code to automate test procedures and to communicate with units for verification of functionality and accuracy.
  • Coordinate with senior electrical engineers and achieve hands-on experience on coal fire plant power generation and power transformers, circuit breakers.
  • Provide engineering design CADD and REVIT support for the Ellerbe Becket electrical department.
  • Show more

Instrumentation electrician vs electrical engineer skills

Common instrumentation electrician skills
  • PLC, 15%
  • Control Systems, 9%
  • Ladders, 5%
  • Transmitters, 5%
  • Control Valves, 5%
  • Electrical Equipment, 5%
Common electrical engineer skills
  • Autocad, 6%
  • Electrical Systems, 6%
  • UL, 4%
  • Electrical Design, 4%
  • CAD, 4%
  • C++, 4%

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