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The differences between programming engineers and product 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 programming engineer and a product design engineer. Additionally, a product design engineer has an average salary of $94,827, which is higher than the $80,616 average annual salary of a programming engineer.
The top three skills for a programming engineer include project management, C++ and program management. The most important skills for a product design engineer are CAD, mechanical design, and GD.
| Programming Engineer | Product Design Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $80,616 | $94,827 |
| Hourly rate | $38.76 | $45.59 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 92,726 | 170,485 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
A programming engineer specializes in designing and developing programs and systems for various purposes. Their responsibilities revolve around meeting with clients to discuss their needs, coordinating with different professionals to establish networks, generating codes, and conducting tests and regular maintenance to ensure optimal quality. They must also address issues and concerns from clients, troubleshoot, and resolve any problems promptly. Should a programming engineer work for a company, there are instances where one must produce progress reports and create instructional materials for employees.
A Product Design Engineer designs new products that customers will want to purchase. They are responsible for designing, modeling, and testing prototypes for products.
Programming engineers and product design engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Programming Engineer | Product Design Engineer | |
| Average salary | $80,616 | $94,827 |
| Salary range | Between $59,000 And $108,000 | Between $69,000 And $129,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Mateo, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Apple | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a programming engineer and a product design engineer in terms of educational background:
| Programming Engineer | Product Design Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between programming engineers' and product design engineers' demographics:
| Programming Engineer | Product Design Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 84.8% Female, 15.2% | Male, 90.9% Female, 9.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.5% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.6% Asian, 11.8% White, 70.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | Black or African American, 3.2% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 8.2% Asian, 16.2% White, 67.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |