Microwave engineer vs controls designer

The differences between microwave engineers and controls designers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a microwave engineer and a controls designer. Additionally, a microwave engineer has an average salary of $95,761, which is higher than the $91,944 average annual salary of a controls designer.

The top three skills for a microwave engineer include RF, google earth and MATLAB. The most important skills for a controls designer are PLC, control panels, and IDS.

Microwave engineer vs controls designer overview

	Microwave Engineer	Controls Designer
Yearly salary	$95,761	$91,944
Hourly rate	$46.04	$44.20
Growth rate	3%	3%
Number of jobs	18,730	79,729
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 63%	Bachelor's Degree, 53%
Average age	45	45
Years of experience	6	6

Microwave engineer vs controls designer salary

Microwave engineers and controls designers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Microwave Engineer	Controls Designer
Average salary	$95,761	$91,944
Salary range	Between $64,000 And $142,000	Between $69,000 And $121,000
Highest paying City	San Jose, CA	San Jose, CA
Highest paying state	Washington	Rhode Island
Best paying company	Renesas Electronics	Visteon
Best paying industry	Internet	Technology

Differences between microwave engineer and controls designer education

There are a few differences between a microwave engineer and a controls designer in terms of educational background:

	Microwave Engineer	Controls Designer
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 63%	Bachelor's Degree, 53%
Most common major	Electrical Engineering	Electrical Engineering
Most common college	Northeastern University	Carnegie Mellon University

Microwave engineer vs controls designer demographics

Here are the differences between microwave engineers' and controls designers' demographics:

	Microwave Engineer	Controls Designer
Average age	45	45
Gender ratio	Male, 94.7% Female, 5.3%	Male, 86.5% Female, 13.5%
Race ratio	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%	Black or African American, 4.8% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 11.0% Asian, 17.7% White, 61.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between microwave engineer and controls designer duties and responsibilities

Microwave engineer example responsibilities.

Perform detailed analysis to determine antenna size, radio equipment and frequency band to achieve maximum system performance.
Design of a 138kV transmission line using PLS CADD and LiDar survey points.
Design 5 RF PC boards in 4 months, as well as supporting documents and schematics.
Upgrade as well as configured the CDMA sets for new software version using ZTE PST and QPST.
Prepare monthly and weekly status reports for execute activities in ZAIN SD network within the assigned node.
Assist in design and test of antennas for airborne and groundbase EW systems including broadband, low sidelobe components.

Controls designer example responsibilities.

Establish communication links and prepare machines for bench-testing to attain UL certification.
Engineer, draft, modify PLC programs and HMI programs, create schematics, test software with customer to their satisfaction.
Create the simulation with SolidWorks.
Create and deploy disk images for latest SolidWorks releases as needed.
Develop applications for HVAC, semiconductor, industrial coatings, medical, and renewable and sustainable industries.
Lead designer assign to smaller projects at various plants dealing with instrumentation, PLS and DCS upgrades / modifications.

Microwave engineer vs controls designer skills

Common microwave engineer skills

RF, 33%
Google Earth, 7%
MATLAB, 7%
Network Design, 7%
Antenna, 5%
MW, 4%

Common controls designer skills

PLC, 12%
Control Panels, 6%
IDS, 6%
Auto CAD, 6%
I/O, 5%
UL, 4%