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The differences between quality control engineers and reliability engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a quality control engineer and a reliability engineer. Additionally, a reliability engineer has an average salary of $105,551, which is higher than the $70,845 average annual salary of a quality control engineer.
The top three skills for a quality control engineer include product quality, quality standards and corrective action. The most important skills for a reliability engineer are java, troubleshoot, and ruby.
| Quality Control Engineer | Reliability Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $70,845 | $105,551 |
| Hourly rate | $34.06 | $50.75 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 109,745 | 44,471 |
| Job satisfaction | 4 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 76% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A quality control engineer is responsible for conducting quality assessments for the company's products and services to ensure adherence to federal regulations and quality standards. Quality control engineers recommend strategic methods by analyzing processes and writing test results. They also identify opportunities for more services that meet public demands and market trends, helping the business generate more resources for revenues. A quality control engineer utilizes various software tools and applications to document findings, requiring them to have excellent communication and technical skills.
A reliability engineer is in charge of determining and managing the asset reliability risks of businesses. Reliability engineers are professionals who solve problems related to engineering. They are equipped with a better understanding of the principles of performance evaluation and prediction for product safety. The job requires knowledge of the field of engineering, strong communication, interpersonal skills, management skills, attention to detail, and reliability. They are also expected to become experts in engineering systems.
Quality control engineers and reliability engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Quality Control Engineer | Reliability Engineer | |
| Average salary | $70,845 | $105,551 |
| Salary range | Between $53,000 And $94,000 | Between $76,000 And $144,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Rafael, CA | Richmond, CA |
| Highest paying state | Wyoming | Washington |
| Best paying company | Intuitive Surgical | The Citadel |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Start-up |
There are a few differences between a quality control engineer and a reliability engineer in terms of educational background:
| Quality Control Engineer | Reliability Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 76% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Johns Hopkins University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between quality control engineers' and reliability engineers' demographics:
| Quality Control Engineer | Reliability Engineer | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 83.8% Female, 16.2% | Male, 87.5% Female, 12.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.3% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 10.5% Asian, 15.5% White, 65.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 4.4% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 10.8% Asian, 14.3% White, 66.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 4% |