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The differences between outside plant engineers and associate electrical engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both an outside plant engineer and an associate electrical engineer. Additionally, an outside plant engineer has an average salary of $85,603, which is higher than the $71,773 average annual salary of an associate electrical engineer.
The top three skills for an outside plant engineer include CAD, outside plant and OSP. The most important skills for an associate electrical engineer are electrical components, electrical equipment, and RF.
| Outside Plant Engineer | Associate Electrical Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $85,603 | $71,773 |
| Hourly rate | $41.16 | $34.51 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 34,742 | 31,707 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 51% |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
The job of an outside plant engineer revolves around design, constructing, and maintaining plant infrastructure, engineering, and conducting route analysis of aerial and underground fiber-optic installations. Typical day-to-day duties include assisting clients in resolving issues when they arise, developing engineering plans, schedules, and costs relevant to the projects, and providing guidance on telecommunication issues. As an outside plant engineer, you need to ensure the proper installation of the infrastructure and the availability of fiber cable storage, access, and termination equipment.
An associate electrical engineer is responsible for organizing and developing electrical systems, improving existing components, and designing infrastructure under the guidance of the senior electrical engineer. Associate electrical engineers identify cost-reduction materials and analyze current electrical industry trends to determine efficient products and equipment that support public demands and industrial use. They collaborate testing methods with the engineering team, suggest project improvement techniques, and perform quality assurance procedures to stabilize the electrical system's optimal performance.
Outside plant engineers and associate electrical engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Outside Plant Engineer | Associate Electrical Engineer | |
| Average salary | $85,603 | $71,773 |
| Salary range | Between $62,000 And $117,000 | Between $51,000 And $100,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | - | California |
| Best paying company | - | McKinsey & Company Inc |
| Best paying industry | - | Hospitality |
There are a few differences between an outside plant engineer and an associate electrical engineer in terms of educational background:
| Outside Plant Engineer | Associate Electrical Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 51% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between outside plant engineers' and associate electrical engineers' demographics:
| Outside Plant Engineer | Associate Electrical Engineer | |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 85.5% Female, 14.5% | Male, 86.6% Female, 13.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.8% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 11.1% Asian, 14.5% White, 64.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | 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% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |