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Project controls engineer vs communications engineer

The differences between project controls engineers and communications 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 project controls engineer and a communications engineer. Additionally, a project controls engineer has an average salary of $86,685, which is higher than the $83,540 average annual salary of a communications engineer.

The top three skills for a project controls engineer include project controls, project management and construction management. The most important skills for a communications engineer are RF, unified communications, and unity.

Project controls engineer vs communications engineer overview

Project Controls EngineerCommunications Engineer
Yearly salary$86,685$83,540
Hourly rate$41.68$40.16
Growth rate3%3%
Number of jobs38,97471,942
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 74%Bachelor's Degree, 64%
Average age4545
Years of experience66

What does a project controls engineer do?

A Project Controls Engineer creates project cost reports and progress charts. These professionals interpret the company contract and deal with the existing cost control database and financial risk. Project Controls Engineers reconcile and organize the project cost information with the clients' status reports. Also, they evaluate cash flow reports and project cost reports prepared by CMA.

What does a communications engineer do?

The duties of a communications engineer depend on one's line of work or industry of employment. Their responsibilities typically revolve around designing and developing new systems to optimize operations, performing research and assessments to identify company needs, determining the strengths and weaknesses of existing systems, and providing solutions on issues and concerns. Furthermore, as a communications engineer, it is essential to perform regular maintenance checks to ensure a safe and productive work environment, all while implementing the company's policies and regulations.

Project controls engineer vs communications engineer salary

Project controls engineers and communications engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Project Controls EngineerCommunications Engineer
Average salary$86,685$83,540
Salary rangeBetween $63,000 And $119,000Between $62,000 And $111,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CAPalo Alto, CA
Highest paying stateCaliforniaCalifornia
Best paying companyBP America IncShearman & Sterling
Best paying industryEnergyFinance

Differences between project controls engineer and communications engineer education

There are a few differences between a project controls engineer and a communications engineer in terms of educational background:

Project Controls EngineerCommunications Engineer
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 74%Bachelor's Degree, 64%
Most common majorBusinessElectrical Engineering
Most common collegeStanford UniversityStanford University

Project controls engineer vs communications engineer demographics

Here are the differences between project controls engineers' and communications engineers' demographics:

Project Controls EngineerCommunications Engineer
Average age4545
Gender ratioMale, 80.3% Female, 19.7%Male, 88.7% Female, 11.3%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 4.9% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 11.3% Asian, 14.4% White, 64.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%Black or African American, 4.9% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 11.4% Asian, 14.4% White, 64.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage6%6%

Differences between project controls engineer and communications engineer duties and responsibilities

Project controls engineer example responsibilities.

  • Manage accruals, cash flows, and invoices for $25MM total install cost EPC project.
  • Manage multiple projects involving both internal and vendor resources affecting national production infrastructure.
  • Create and maintain CPM schedules for engineering, procurement, installation and commissioning phases on various projects.
  • Develop and improve PMO process methodologies.
  • Optimize plant maintenance and manpower scheduling using spreadsheet forecasting models.
  • Prepare summary level CPM schedules and present progress to owner company executive management on a monthly basis.
  • Show more

Communications engineer example responsibilities.

  • Manage project to migrate over to the new manage firewall system.
  • Manage Internet connectivity using redundant Cisco routers and manage Nokia firewalls.
  • Manage multiple construction and service provisioning projects within several service centers in south-east Michigan.
  • Manage Jenkins security by providing specific access to authorize developers/testers using project base matrix authorization strategy.
  • Develop DFMEA's, PPAP'd parts and support all builds.
  • Design and prepare pre-production drawings using CAD-CATIA to customer-base specifications, maintaining PPAP requirements.
  • Show more

Project controls engineer vs communications engineer skills

Common project controls engineer skills
  • Project Controls, 12%
  • Project Management, 9%
  • Construction Management, 7%
  • Primavera P6, 5%
  • Control Systems, 3%
  • Project Cost, 3%
Common communications engineer skills
  • RF, 7%
  • Unified Communications, 6%
  • Unity, 6%
  • Troubleshoot, 6%
  • VoIP, 5%
  • IP, 4%

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