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The differences between lighting 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 lighting engineer and an electrical & instrumentation designer. Additionally, a lighting engineer has an average salary of $85,362, which is higher than the $81,188 average annual salary of an electrical & instrumentation designer.
The top three skills for a lighting engineer include A/V, technical aspects and STARS. The most important skills for an electrical & instrumentation designer are PLC, instrumentation design, and control systems.
| Lighting Engineer | Electrical & Instrumentation Designer | |
| Yearly salary | $85,362 | $81,188 |
| Hourly rate | $41.04 | $39.03 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 38,070 | 81,243 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Associate Degree, 53% |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A lighting engineer oversees everything that is happening in a tv show, concert, play, or theater production. This is the person responsible for ensuring that the lighting and the visual effects are operating just right. Their skills are essential because this will set the mood for the audience with the lighting effects that they provide. Also, they monitor the work of the flight crew and technicians.
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.
Lighting engineers and electrical & instrumentation designers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Lighting Engineer | Electrical & Instrumentation Designer | |
| Average salary | $85,362 | $81,188 |
| Salary range | Between $61,000 And $117,000 | Between $60,000 And $109,000 |
| Highest paying City | Los Angeles, CA | - |
| Highest paying state | California | - |
| Best paying company | Apple | - |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | - |
There are a few differences between a lighting engineer and an electrical & instrumentation designer in terms of educational background:
| Lighting Engineer | Electrical & Instrumentation Designer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Associate Degree, 53% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Drafting And Design |
| Most common college | Northeastern University | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between lighting engineers' and electrical & instrumentation designers' demographics:
| Lighting Engineer | Electrical & Instrumentation Designer | |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 93.5% Female, 6.5% | Male, 85.2% Female, 14.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.9% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 11.5% Asian, 14.3% White, 64.4% 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 Percentage | 6% | 6% |