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The differences between product engineers and systems engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a product engineer, becoming a systems engineer takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a product engineer has an average salary of $89,645, which is higher than the $82,834 average annual salary of a systems engineer.
The top three skills for a product engineer include CAD, product design and project management. The most important skills for a systems engineer are python, linux, and C++.
| Product Engineer | Systems Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $89,645 | $82,834 |
| Hourly rate | $43.10 | $39.82 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 21% |
| Number of jobs | 157,888 | 145,936 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Average age | 41 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 2 |
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.
Systems engineers are responsible for creating and overseeing systems related to the overall operations of the organization. They are in charge of assessing the organization's needs in terms of systems and creating plans to address these needs. These systems are usually related to the production or manufacturing of company products. Systems engineers create end-to-end processes that ensure efficiency and effectiveness. They make sure that the processes they put in place adhere to safety and security policies and guidelines. They also do routine checks and continuously find ways to further improve production and other systems.
Product engineers and systems engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Product Engineer | Systems Engineer | |
| Average salary | $89,645 | $82,834 |
| Salary range | Between $68,000 And $118,000 | Between $62,000 And $109,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | The Citadel |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Automotive |
There are a few differences between a product engineer and a systems engineer in terms of educational background:
| Product Engineer | Systems Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Michigan Technological University | California State University - Long Beach |
Here are the differences between product engineers' and systems engineers' demographics:
| Product Engineer | Systems Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 87.8% Female, 12.2% | Male, 86.1% Female, 13.9% |
| Race ratio | 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% | Black or African American, 4.7% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 8.4% Asian, 29.7% White, 52.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 8% |