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Product applications engineer vs product engineer

The differences between product applications engineers and product 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 product engineer. Additionally, a product applications engineer has an average salary of $101,877, which is higher than the $89,645 average annual salary of a product engineer.

The top three skills for a product applications engineer include technical support, product line and RF. The most important skills for a product engineer are CAD, product design, and project management.

Product applications engineer vs product engineer overview

Product Applications EngineerProduct Engineer
Yearly salary$101,877$89,645
Hourly rate$48.98$43.10
Growth rate6%2%
Number of jobs101,218157,888
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 73%Bachelor's Degree, 74%
Average age4441
Years of experience66

What does a product applications engineer do?

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.

What does a product engineer do?

A product engineer specializes in designing and developing commercial materials and services. They are primarily responsible for conducting thorough research and analysis of the latest trends and marketing conditions to come up with new ideas and products for the public. Moreover, they are also responsible for producing reports and presentations, coordinating with the development team of their company. Product engineers also reach out to vendors and suppliers for the raw materials, set regulations and standards for the product, and even conduct a rigorous and regular quality check.

Product applications engineer vs product engineer salary

Product applications engineers and product engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Product Applications EngineerProduct Engineer
Average salary$101,877$89,645
Salary rangeBetween $75,000 And $138,000Between $68,000 And $118,000
Highest paying CityMountain View, CASan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateCaliforniaCalifornia
Best paying companyGoogleMeta
Best paying industryTechnologyTechnology

Differences between product applications engineer and product engineer education

There are a few differences between a product applications engineer and a product engineer in terms of educational background:

Product Applications EngineerProduct Engineer
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 73%Bachelor's Degree, 74%
Most common majorElectrical EngineeringMechanical Engineering
Most common collegeNorthwestern UniversityMichigan Technological University

Product applications engineer vs product engineer demographics

Here are the differences between product applications engineers' and product engineers' demographics:

Product Applications EngineerProduct Engineer
Average age4441
Gender ratioMale, 89.4% Female, 10.6%Male, 87.8% Female, 12.2%
Race ratioBlack 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, 3.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 17.0% White, 67.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%
LGBT Percentage7%5%

Differences between product applications engineer and product engineer duties and responsibilities

Product applications engineer example responsibilities.

  • Manage the manufacturing of defense and aerospace electro-mechanical print circuit boards from prototype to production level.
  • Analyze and debug digital and RF hardware and systems in-house and at customer sites.
  • Work on XML base integration for data exchange between OTM and client applications.
  • Support transactions include legacy systems, DLMS EDI and XML formats as well as custom XML.
  • Assist in wide variety of technical assessments of OEM customer requirements in support of sales and business development activities.
  • Design an automatic gain control algorithm (AGC) for LTE base station receivers along with other RF performance improvement techniques.
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Product engineer example responsibilities.

  • Lead team to achieve project objectives and report results to Sr. Management.
  • Manage outsourced $500k mix mode voice security IC development.
  • Manage various EHS activities at the Fremont, California facility.
  • Manage coordination of APQP, component timing, and technical resource allocation for commercial issues.
  • Manage the manufacturing of defense and aerospace electro-mechanical print circuit boards from prototype to production level.
  • Sketch concepts (Creo), coordinate prototype builds, provide assembly instructions and troubleshoot build issues.
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Product applications engineer vs product engineer skills

Common product applications engineer skills
  • Technical Support, 8%
  • Product Line, 7%
  • RF, 5%
  • Product Design, 4%
  • Trade Shows, 3%
  • Solidworks, 3%
Common product engineer skills
  • CAD, 6%
  • Product Design, 5%
  • Project Management, 4%
  • C++, 4%
  • Solidworks, 3%
  • Product Development, 3%