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The differences between instrumentation engineers and senior 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 senior engineer takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a senior engineer has an average salary of $108,743, which is higher than the $88,783 average annual salary of an instrumentation engineer.
The top three skills for an instrumentation engineer include PLC, autocad and analyzers. The most important skills for a senior engineer are java, python, and architecture.
| Instrumentation Engineer | Senior Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $88,783 | $108,743 |
| Hourly rate | $42.68 | $52.28 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 45,735 | 343,200 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 79% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| 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 senior engineer is responsible for overseeing all operations within a designated area. With years of experience and expertise, a senior engineer may take charge of establishing goals, deadlines, and budgets for a particular project. They must devise and implement strategies that would improve the quality of workflow and deliver significant results. Furthermore, a senior manager must also supervise a team of skilled engineers, leading them in the joint effort to reach the company's vision and mission, all while adhering to the safety standards and regulations.
Instrumentation engineers and senior engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Instrumentation Engineer | Senior Engineer | |
| Average salary | $88,783 | $108,743 |
| Salary range | Between $65,000 And $119,000 | Between $82,000 And $144,000 |
| Highest paying City | Cupertino, CA | San Mateo, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Apple | Roku |
| Best paying industry | Government | Start-up |
There are a few differences between an instrumentation engineer and a senior engineer in terms of educational background:
| Instrumentation Engineer | Senior Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 79% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Michigan Technological University | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between instrumentation engineers' and senior engineers' demographics:
| Instrumentation Engineer | Senior Engineer | |
| Average age | 45 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 91.2% Female, 8.8% | Male, 89.1% Female, 10.9% |
| 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, 3.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 17.1% White, 67.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 5% |