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The differences between lead application engineers and design 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 lead application engineer and a design engineer. Additionally, a lead application engineer has an average salary of $111,059, which is higher than the $77,134 average annual salary of a design engineer.
The top three skills for a lead application engineer include java, C++ and infrastructure. The most important skills for a design engineer are C++, UL, and project management.
| Lead Application Engineer | Design Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $111,059 | $77,134 |
| Hourly rate | $53.39 | $37.08 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 186,619 | 138,173 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
An Application Engineers is responsible for monitoring and ensuring that all the application and software of a client is functioning well. They are the one who develops new engineering software and hardware that leads to innovation and technology. This person has practical communication skills since they need to interact with clients to determine the scope of the project and create a reasonable solution. An Application Engineer possesses skills in a wide range of technical concerns regarding software hardware. Typically, they can be seen different departments like manufacturing, marketing as well as customer services.
A design engineer is responsible for creating systems and applications based on their expertise. Design engineers work through client specifications based on business needs. A design engineer also provides recommendations on improving existing systems to boost its performance and increase efficiency. Design engineers must have an excellent command of computer systems, programming codes, and technical data to ensure the system's stability and high-quality processes. A design engineer should also have strong analytical and time-management skills to perform tasks and meet deadlines.
Lead application engineers and design engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Lead Application Engineer | Design Engineer | |
| Average salary | $111,059 | $77,134 |
| Salary range | Between $85,000 And $144,000 | Between $57,000 And $102,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Virginia | California |
| Best paying company | Lyft | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Retail | Technology |
There are a few differences between a lead application engineer and a design engineer in terms of educational background:
| Lead Application Engineer | Design Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between lead application engineers' and design engineers' demographics:
| Lead Application Engineer | Design Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 87.8% Female, 12.2% | Male, 88.9% Female, 11.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 16.5% White, 68.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | Black or African American, 3.2% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 8.2% Asian, 16.8% White, 67.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |