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The differences between product applications engineers and 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 product applications engineer and a design engineer. Additionally, a product applications engineer has an average salary of $101,877, which is higher than the $77,134 average annual salary of a design engineer.
The top three skills for a product applications engineer include technical support, product line and RF. The most important skills for a design engineer are C++, UL, and project management.
| Product Applications Engineer | Design Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $101,877 | $77,134 |
| Hourly rate | $48.98 | $37.08 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 101,218 | 138,173 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Average age | 44 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
A product applications engineer's job is to determine business needs and develop solutions with product managers and address customer queries and issues promptly. They typically address customer questions and issues in a timely manner. They communicate feedback from customers to the design team and provide post-sales support to make suitable modifications in product design. Moreover, it is part of their responsibility to evaluate new software products, check defects, conduct internal application trials for verification, and maintain accurate documentation of problems related to applications, including solutions.
A design engineer is responsible for creating systems and applications based on their expertise. Design engineers work through client specifications based on business needs. A design engineer also provides recommendations on improving existing systems to boost its performance and increase efficiency. Design engineers must have an excellent command of computer systems, programming codes, and technical data to ensure the system's stability and high-quality processes. A design engineer should also have strong analytical and time-management skills to perform tasks and meet deadlines.
Product applications engineers and design engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Product Applications Engineer | Design Engineer | |
| Average salary | $101,877 | $77,134 |
| Salary range | Between $75,000 And $138,000 | Between $57,000 And $102,000 |
| Highest paying City | Mountain View, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a product applications engineer and a design engineer in terms of educational background:
| Product Applications Engineer | Design Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between product applications engineers' and design engineers' demographics:
| Product Applications Engineer | Design Engineer | |
| Average age | 44 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 89.4% Female, 10.6% | Male, 88.9% Female, 11.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 1.4% Unknown, 6.1% Hispanic or Latino, 6.6% Asian, 11.1% White, 74.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 3.2% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 8.2% Asian, 16.8% White, 67.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 5% |