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The differences between junior design engineers and product engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a junior design engineer and a product engineer. Additionally, a product engineer has an average salary of $89,645, which is higher than the $59,383 average annual salary of a junior design engineer.
The top three skills for a junior design engineer include engineering drawings, solidworks and auto cad. The most important skills for a product engineer are CAD, product design, and project management.
| Junior Design Engineer | Product Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $59,383 | $89,645 |
| Hourly rate | $28.55 | $43.10 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 122,180 | 157,888 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
Junior Design Engineers are responsible for providing design assistance and administrative engineering support for an organization. Their duties include designing 3-dimensional models and prototypes, producing detailed drawings, assisting in tender proposal submissions, and documentation for product compliance. They are responsible for managing product literature and crib sheets and generating bills of material (BOM). Junior design engineers also assist in defining product specifications and liaise with stakeholders to obtain design approval. They must possess knowledge in using design software such as AutoCAD, Visualize, and Solidworks.
A product engineer specializes in designing and developing commercial materials and services. They are primarily responsible for conducting thorough research and analysis of the latest trends and marketing conditions to come up with new ideas and products for the public. Moreover, they are also responsible for producing reports and presentations, coordinating with the development team of their company. Product engineers also reach out to vendors and suppliers for the raw materials, set regulations and standards for the product, and even conduct a rigorous and regular quality check.
Junior design engineers and product engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Junior Design Engineer | Product Engineer | |
| Average salary | $59,383 | $89,645 |
| Salary range | Between $40,000 And $86,000 | Between $68,000 And $118,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Jose, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | California |
| Best paying company | Micron Technology | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Technology |
There are a few differences between a junior design engineer and a product engineer in terms of educational background:
| Junior Design Engineer | Product Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between junior design engineers' and product engineers' demographics:
| Junior Design Engineer | Product Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 87.2% Female, 12.8% | Male, 87.8% Female, 12.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 16.9% White, 67.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | Black or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 17.0% White, 67.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |