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Junior electrical engineer vs electrical & instrumentation designer

The differences between junior electrical engineers and electrical & instrumentation designers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a junior electrical engineer and an electrical & instrumentation designer. Additionally, an electrical & instrumentation designer has an average salary of $81,188, which is higher than the $68,365 average annual salary of a junior electrical engineer.

The top three skills for a junior electrical engineer include revit, RF and C++. The most important skills for an electrical & instrumentation designer are PLC, instrumentation design, and control systems.

Junior electrical engineer vs electrical & instrumentation designer overview

Junior Electrical EngineerElectrical & Instrumentation Designer
Yearly salary$68,365$81,188
Hourly rate$32.87$39.03
Growth rate3%3%
Number of jobs65,16581,243
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 79%Associate Degree, 53%
Average age4545
Years of experience22

What does a junior electrical engineer do?

A junior electrical engineer specializes in designing and developing electrical systems, ensuring efficiency and safety. In a company setting, a junior electrical engineer typically follows the directives of managers or senior engineers, providing them with regular progress reports. They may also liaise with clients to identify their needs, produce prototypes and designs, coordinate with other technicians and engineers, and manage the workflow of projects and programs, all while implementing the company's policies and regulations. Furthermore, a junior electrical engineer may also participate in training new members of the workforce, sharing their expertise and insights along the way.

What does an electrical & instrumentation designer do?

An electrical instrumentation designer's main job is to design instruments that can be used in various areas such as laboratories, power plants, or research institutes. They work together with a team or individually to design instruments, create a prototype, and test its functions. They can even install these instruments in different establishments and locations. They are tasked with repair and training engineers. At other times, they are assigned to record expenses and other documentation.

Junior electrical engineer vs electrical & instrumentation designer salary

Junior electrical engineers and electrical & instrumentation designers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Junior Electrical EngineerElectrical & Instrumentation Designer
Average salary$68,365$81,188
Salary rangeBetween $48,000 And $95,000Between $60,000 And $109,000
Highest paying CityFoster City, CA-
Highest paying stateCalifornia-
Best paying companyApple-
Best paying industryConstruction-

Differences between junior electrical engineer and electrical & instrumentation designer education

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

Junior Electrical EngineerElectrical & Instrumentation Designer
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 79%Associate Degree, 53%
Most common majorElectrical EngineeringDrafting And Design
Most common collegeMichigan Technological UniversityMichigan Technological University

Junior electrical engineer vs electrical & instrumentation designer demographics

Here are the differences between junior electrical engineers' and electrical & instrumentation designers' demographics:

Junior Electrical EngineerElectrical & Instrumentation Designer
Average age4545
Gender ratioMale, 89.2% Female, 10.8%Male, 85.2% Female, 14.8%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 4.8% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 11.1% Asian, 17.1% White, 62.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%Black or African American, 4.9% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 11.5% Asian, 14.3% White, 64.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage6%6%

Differences between junior electrical engineer and electrical & instrumentation designer duties and responsibilities

Junior electrical engineer example responsibilities.

  • Coordinate with senior electrical engineers and achieve hands-on experience on coal fire plant power generation and power transformers, circuit breakers.
  • Design PLC schematics for system relaying and protection.
  • Design RTL modules in Verilog HDL to develop algorithms in Matlab, and verify them by writing test benches.
  • Upgrade a chemical exhaust scrubber with a newer PLC to allow data logging and process monitoring to meet EPA standards.
  • Coordinate with senior electrical engineers and achieve hands-on experience on coal fire plant power generation and power transformers, circuit breakers.
  • Support EMC, ESD transient testing.
  • Show more

Electrical & instrumentation designer example responsibilities.

  • Manage database for PDF drawings and other electronic files.
  • Modify chemical process areas with new control installations, utilizing various DCS's, and PLC's on these projects.
  • Work in PDMS creating instruments, cable tray routing, locating junction boxes, remote I/O cabinets, and lighting.
  • Work include modification of existing instrument panels to accept PLC & DCS racks and wiring; update pneumatic instrumentation to electronics.
  • Develop new instrument installation detail drawings, instrument location plan drawings, instrument elevation drawings and loop diagrams for the refinery.
  • Design process plant instrumentation and electrical power systems within NEC and industry standards.
  • Show more

Junior electrical engineer vs electrical & instrumentation designer skills

Common junior electrical engineer skills
  • Revit, 10%
  • RF, 7%
  • C++, 7%
  • Electrical Components, 6%
  • UL, 6%
  • Control Systems, 5%
Common electrical & instrumentation designer skills
  • PLC, 8%
  • Instrumentation Design, 7%
  • Control Systems, 6%
  • I/O, 5%
  • Electrical Design, 4%
  • Panel Layouts, 4%

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