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The differences between instrumentation 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 engineer and an electrical design engineer. Additionally, an instrumentation engineer has an average salary of $88,783, which is higher than the $83,944 average annual salary of an electrical design engineer.
The top three skills for an instrumentation engineer include PLC, autocad and analyzers. The most important skills for an electrical design engineer are electrical design, revit, and electrical systems.
| Instrumentation Engineer | Electrical Design Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $88,783 | $83,944 |
| Hourly rate | $42.68 | $40.36 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 45,735 | 87,121 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 79% | Bachelor's Degree, 75% |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
An instrumentation engineer specializes in designing and developing equipment to optimize business processes. Their responsibilities revolve around performing research and analysis to identify the needs of a company, coordinating with different departments to gather data, devising strategies to create new processes, and preparing reports and presentations for the executives. An instrumentation engineer mostly performs installations and repairs; they also conduct regular maintenance to ensure the efficiency of facilities. Furthermore, they must answer inquiries and resolve issues and concerns, all in adherence to the company's policies and regulations.
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 engineers and electrical design engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Instrumentation Engineer | Electrical Design Engineer | |
| Average salary | $88,783 | $83,944 |
| Salary range | Between $65,000 And $119,000 | Between $63,000 And $110,000 |
| Highest paying City | Cupertino, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Washington |
| Best paying company | Apple | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Government | Technology |
There are a few differences between an instrumentation engineer and an electrical design engineer in terms of educational background:
| Instrumentation Engineer | Electrical Design Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 79% | 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 engineers' and electrical design engineers' demographics:
| Instrumentation Engineer | Electrical Design Engineer | |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 91.2% Female, 8.8% | Male, 89.9% Female, 10.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.9% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 11.5% Asian, 15.5% White, 63.2% 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% |