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The differences between laser engineers and product 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 engineer takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a product engineer has an average salary of $89,645, 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 engineer are CAD, product design, and project management.
| Laser Engineer | Product Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $85,319 | $89,645 |
| Hourly rate | $41.02 | $43.10 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 4,901 | 157,888 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| 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 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.
Laser engineers and product engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Laser Engineer | Product Engineer | |
| Average salary | $85,319 | $89,645 |
| Salary range | Between $62,000 And $116,000 | Between $68,000 And $118,000 |
| Highest paying City | Redwood City, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Booz Allen Hamilton | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a laser engineer and a product engineer in terms of educational background:
| Laser Engineer | Product Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Most common major | Physics | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between laser engineers' and product engineers' demographics:
| Laser Engineer | Product Engineer | |
| Average age | 43 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 94.8% Female, 5.2% | Male, 87.8% Female, 12.2% |
| 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, 7.9% Asian, 17.0% White, 67.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |