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The differences between radio frequency engineers and customer 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 radio frequency engineer and a customer engineer. Additionally, a customer engineer has an average salary of $101,212, which is higher than the $88,301 average annual salary of a radio frequency engineer.
The top three skills for a radio frequency engineer include test equipment, antenna and system performance. The most important skills for a customer engineer are customer service, technical problems, and level agreements.
| Radio Frequency Engineer | Customer Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $88,301 | $101,212 |
| Hourly rate | $42.45 | $48.66 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 35,158 | 44,709 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 46% |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
A radio frequency engineer, also known as RF engineer, specializes in designing and developing communication systems using radio waves. One of their primary responsibilities revolves around creating networks and systems and testing equipment. They make sure that equipment is up to high standards by traveling to different areas as needed, troubleshooting issues to identify the root of problems and performing corrective measures required. Furthermore, a radio frequency engineer must continuously optimize equipment quality and ensure efficiency while adhering to the laws and regulations.
A customer engineer provides technical support to organizations having issues with their products or services. Duties and responsibilities may vary depending on the sector, but generally include diagnosing and troubleshooting technical problems with products, performing tests, upgrades and diagnostics to prevent delay or downtime caused by-product issues, and keeping updated reports outlining the problems and measures taken to resolve them. A customer engineer is also responsible for discussing service contracts and their benefits with clients.
Radio frequency engineers and customer engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Radio Frequency Engineer | Customer Engineer | |
| Average salary | $88,301 | $101,212 |
| Salary range | Between $67,000 And $115,000 | Between $77,000 And $131,000 |
| Highest paying City | Cupertino, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Meta | |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Start-up |
There are a few differences between a radio frequency engineer and a customer engineer in terms of educational background:
| Radio Frequency Engineer | Customer Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 46% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Northeastern University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between radio frequency engineers' and customer engineers' demographics:
| Radio Frequency Engineer | Customer Engineer | |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 91.1% Female, 8.9% | Male, 90.4% Female, 9.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.6% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 10.3% Asian, 20.7% White, 59.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 4.8% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 11.1% Asian, 14.5% White, 64.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |