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The differences between laser engineers and product development engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a laser engineer, becoming a product development engineer takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a product development engineer has an average salary of $86,075, which is higher than the $85,319 average annual salary of a laser engineer.
The top three skills for a laser engineer include MATLAB, data collection and labview. The most important skills for a product development engineer are CAD, solidworks, and product development.
| Laser Engineer | Product Development Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $85,319 | $86,075 |
| Hourly rate | $41.02 | $41.38 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 4,901 | 202,155 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 75% |
| Average age | 43 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 6 |
A laser engineer is one who specializes in making and developing laser devices or machines that is for laser purposes. They supervises the laser team in operating and ensuring that all laser-related equipment is functioning well. They can also specialize in doing advanced optics or optic devices. Their responsibilities include the regular monitoring and optimization of laser outputs as well as finding out a reasonable solution on how to handles laser issues that will be arising.
A Product Development Engineer is responsible for creating and testing new product designs. They collaborate with market researchers to evaluate market needs, existing competition, and potential costs.
Laser engineers and product development engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Laser Engineer | Product Development Engineer | |
| Average salary | $85,319 | $86,075 |
| Salary range | Between $62,000 And $116,000 | Between $64,000 And $113,000 |
| Highest paying City | Redwood City, CA | Sunnyvale, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Booz Allen Hamilton | Amazon |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a laser engineer and a product development engineer in terms of educational background:
| Laser Engineer | Product Development Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 75% |
| Most common major | Physics | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between laser engineers' and product development engineers' demographics:
| Laser Engineer | Product Development Engineer | |
| Average age | 43 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 94.8% Female, 5.2% | Male, 86.8% Female, 13.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 10.5% Asian, 18.0% White, 62.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 16.7% White, 67.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |