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The differences between senior 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 senior controls engineer and a communications engineer. Additionally, a senior controls engineer has an average salary of $107,298, which is higher than the $83,540 average annual salary of a communications engineer.
The top three skills for a senior controls engineer include control systems, HMI and C++. The most important skills for a communications engineer are RF, unified communications, and unity.
| Senior Controls Engineer | Communications Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $107,298 | $83,540 |
| Hourly rate | $51.59 | $40.16 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 39,440 | 71,942 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
A senior controls engineer specializes in designing and developing control systems in various industries. Their responsibilities typically include identifying and understanding the company's needs, producing prototypes and test structures, gathering and analyzing data to identify areas needing improvement, implementing solutions in vulnerable areas, and providing technical support when necessary. Furthermore, as a senior controls engineer, it is essential to lead and serve as a mentor to junior engineers, all while enforcing the company's policies and regulations.
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.
Senior controls engineers and communications engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Controls Engineer | Communications Engineer | |
| Average salary | $107,298 | $83,540 |
| Salary range | Between $82,000 And $138,000 | Between $62,000 And $111,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Palo Alto, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Sagent Pharmaceuticals | Shearman & Sterling |
| Best paying industry | Automotive | Finance |
There are a few differences between a senior controls engineer and a communications engineer in terms of educational background:
| Senior Controls Engineer | Communications Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between senior controls engineers' and communications engineers' demographics:
| Senior Controls Engineer | Communications Engineer | |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 84.6% Female, 15.4% | Male, 88.7% Female, 11.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.7% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 10.9% Asian, 14.5% White, 64.9% 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 Percentage | 6% | 6% |