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The differences between junior electrical engineers and instrumentation & control engineers 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 instrumentation & control engineer. Additionally, an instrumentation & control engineer has an average salary of $92,464, 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 instrumentation & control engineer are PLC, HMI, and SCADA.
| Junior Electrical Engineer | Instrumentation & Control Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $68,365 | $92,464 |
| Hourly rate | $32.87 | $44.45 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 65,165 | 51,065 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 79% | Bachelor's Degree, 78% |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
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.
An instrumentation and control engineer is responsible for installing and designing technical components for engineering systems that would support production and manufacturing processes. Instrumentation and control engineers inspect control systems, modify features and infrastructure, configure controllers, and run multiple quality checks to ensure stability and optimal performance. They must have excellent communication and technical skills, especially in developing system codes and analyzing programming languages to serve control functions and development. An instrumentation and control engineer also resolves system issues and write resolution reports for reference.
Junior electrical engineers and instrumentation & control engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Junior Electrical Engineer | Instrumentation & Control Engineer | |
| Average salary | $68,365 | $92,464 |
| Salary range | Between $48,000 And $95,000 | Between $70,000 And $121,000 |
| Highest paying City | Foster City, CA | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | California | Washington |
| Best paying company | Apple | Marathon Petroleum |
| Best paying industry | Construction | Energy |
There are a few differences between a junior electrical engineer and an instrumentation & control engineer in terms of educational background:
| Junior Electrical Engineer | Instrumentation & Control Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 79% | Bachelor's Degree, 78% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Michigan Technological University | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between junior electrical engineers' and instrumentation & control engineers' demographics:
| Junior Electrical Engineer | Instrumentation & Control Engineer | |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 89.2% Female, 10.8% | Male, 90.2% Female, 9.8% |
| Race ratio | Black 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, 4.8% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 11.0% Asian, 14.5% White, 64.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |