Pcb designer vs asic design engineer

The differences between pcb designers and asic 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 pcb designer and an asic design engineer. Additionally, an asic design engineer has an average salary of $109,252, which is higher than the $74,841 average annual salary of a pcb designer.

The top three skills for a pcb designer include RF, DFM and pcb layout. The most important skills for an asic design engineer are architecture, SOC, and rtl design.

Pcb designer vs asic design engineer overview

	PCB Designer	Asic Design Engineer
Yearly salary	$74,841	$109,252
Hourly rate	$35.98	$52.52
Growth rate	3%	3%
Number of jobs	72,971	71,370
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 45%	Bachelor's Degree, 64%
Average age	45	45
Years of experience	6	6

What does a pcb designer do?

PCB designers are professionals who use computer software programs to design printed circuit boards (PCBs), an electronic circuit that supports electronic components such as transistors, diodes, and capacitors. These designers must design and implement various circuit boards and perform revisions to apply changes that are based on the specifications of customers and engineers. They need to collaborate with the companies that fabricate and assemble PCBs to discuss the quality, cost-effective, and timely deliveries of PCBs. PCB designers must also use AutoCAD software to design schematics for the PCB systems.

What does an asic design engineer do?

An ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) design engineer is responsible for creating architectural specifications and model statements for ASIC systems to support business operations and requirements. ASIC design engineers determine network solutions to resolve system complexities and enhance simulation optimization for design integration. They must have excellent technical skills, especially in writing and analyzing programming codes and languages, modify existing logic, and improve circuit infrastructures. An ASIC design engineer runs multiple quality checks with the output, ensuring that it adheres to regulations and guidelines.

Pcb designer vs asic design engineer salary

Pcb designers and asic design engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	PCB Designer	Asic Design Engineer
Average salary	$74,841	$109,252
Salary range	Between $48,000 And $116,000	Between $82,000 And $144,000
Highest paying City	Berkeley, CA	Menlo Park, CA
Highest paying state	Rhode Island	Washington
Best paying company	Apple	Meta
Best paying industry	Telecommunication	Technology

Differences between pcb designer and asic design engineer education

There are a few differences between a pcb designer and an asic design engineer in terms of educational background:

	PCB Designer	Asic Design Engineer
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 45%	Bachelor's Degree, 64%
Most common major	Electrical Engineering	Electrical Engineering
Most common college	Northeastern University	Northeastern University

Pcb designer vs asic design engineer demographics

Here are the differences between pcb designers' and asic design engineers' demographics:

	PCB Designer	Asic Design Engineer
Average age	45	45
Gender ratio	Male, 85.4% Female, 14.6%	Male, 88.3% Female, 11.7%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 4.9% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 11.4% Asian, 14.6% White, 64.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%	Black or African American, 4.1% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.0% Asian, 24.8% White, 57.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between pcb designer and asic design engineer duties and responsibilities

Pcb designer example responsibilities.

Control and manage the testing documentation of magnetics and mechanical documents using custom small scale PDM system base on windows files.
Create training material, design standards and databases for component information using IPC, OrCAD CIS for MWD and LWD systems.
Verify with contract manufacturer that PCB assembly meets DFM & DFT guidelines.
Collaborate with local, national and international telecommunication providers to supply T1, DS3, OCN, E1 and Ethernet connectivity.
Develop software and HMI programs.
Experience with BGA, micro BGA packaging.

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Asic design engineer example responsibilities.

Manage DFT, DFM of LCB/library cells.
Lead internal adoption of new SystemVerilog language features within the above block.
Manage tool issue tracking list and conduct status update meetings with EDA vendor.
Manage some minor tasks along the project cycle including manual routes, debugging, and flow development.
Utilize IBM EDA tools and tcl scripting to debug, solve, and automate custom processes unique to customer designs.
Manage EDA license forecasting and work with project managers and license operations team to track license resource capability and capacity requirements.

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Pcb designer vs asic design engineer skills

Common pcb designer skills

RF, 10%
DFM, 7%
PCB Layout, 6%
Schematic Capture, 6%
IPC Standards, 4%
Assembly Drawings, 4%

Common asic design engineer skills

Architecture, 9%
SOC, 7%
Rtl Design, 6%
FPGA, 5%
C++, 5%
Perl, 5%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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