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The differences between principal design engineers and customer 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 principal design engineer and a customer engineer. Additionally, a principal design engineer has an average salary of $134,300, which is higher than the $101,212 average annual salary of a customer engineer.
The top three skills for a principal design engineer include RF, principal design and CAD. The most important skills for a customer engineer are customer service, technical problems, and level agreements.
| Principal Design Engineer | Customer Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $134,300 | $101,212 |
| Hourly rate | $64.57 | $48.66 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 120,887 | 44,709 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 46% |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
A principal design engineer is responsible for designing and managing manufacturing automation, renewable and solar systems integration engineering projects, and energy reduction projects. You will oversee the project's design, estimate and secure materials, and manage schedules. Additionally, you will be responsible for drafting and executing construction contracts, monitor project status and progress, and conducting engineering research and investigations. You will also train new design engineers, guide other departments on engineering matters, and keeping up-to-date with the latest industry trends.
A customer engineer provides technical support to organizations having issues with their products or services. Duties and responsibilities may vary depending on the sector, but generally include diagnosing and troubleshooting technical problems with products, performing tests, upgrades and diagnostics to prevent delay or downtime caused by-product issues, and keeping updated reports outlining the problems and measures taken to resolve them. A customer engineer is also responsible for discussing service contracts and their benefits with clients.
Principal design engineers and customer engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Principal Design Engineer | Customer Engineer | |
| Average salary | $134,300 | $101,212 |
| Salary range | Between $99,000 And $180,000 | Between $77,000 And $131,000 |
| Highest paying City | Mountain View, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Microsoft | |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Start-up |
There are a few differences between a principal design engineer and a customer engineer in terms of educational background:
| Principal Design Engineer | Customer Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 46% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Georgia Institute of Technology | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between principal design engineers' and customer engineers' demographics:
| Principal Design Engineer | Customer Engineer | |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 92.4% Female, 7.6% | Male, 90.4% Female, 9.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.6% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 10.6% Asian, 19.7% White, 60.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | 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% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |