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The differences between instrumentation engineers and project 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 engineer, becoming a project engineer takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, an instrumentation engineer has an average salary of $88,783, which is higher than the $75,050 average annual salary of a project engineer.
The top three skills for an instrumentation engineer include PLC, autocad and analyzers. The most important skills for a project engineer are project management, autocad, and construction management.
| Instrumentation Engineer | Project Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $88,783 | $75,050 |
| Hourly rate | $42.68 | $36.08 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 45,735 | 176,689 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 79% | Bachelor's Degree, 77% |
| Average age | 45 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 6 |
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.
A Project Engineer develops the plan that the entire team or company will undertake. The project engineer develops the plans, strategies, and goals of a project and then gives it to the management for approval and allocation. The Project Engineer will also recommend material, equipment, and the type of personnel needed. This position is integral in the smooth flow of any project, so hiring someone to hold this position will decide the success of a project.
Instrumentation engineers and project engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Instrumentation Engineer | Project Engineer | |
| Average salary | $88,783 | $75,050 |
| Salary range | Between $65,000 And $119,000 | Between $55,000 And $100,000 |
| Highest paying City | Cupertino, CA | Richmond, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Washington |
| Best paying company | Apple | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Government | Energy |
There are a few differences between an instrumentation engineer and a project engineer in terms of educational background:
| Instrumentation Engineer | Project Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 79% | Bachelor's Degree, 77% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Michigan Technological University | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between instrumentation engineers' and project engineers' demographics:
| Instrumentation Engineer | Project Engineer | |
| Average age | 45 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 91.2% Female, 8.8% | Male, 87.1% Female, 12.9% |
| 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, 3.3% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 8.7% Asian, 14.5% White, 68.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 5% |