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The differences between signal engineers and instrumentation & control engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a signal engineer and an instrumentation & control engineer. Additionally, an instrumentation & control engineer has an average salary of $92,464, which is higher than the $87,939 average annual salary of a signal engineer.
The top three skills for a signal engineer include field testing, control systems and project management. The most important skills for an instrumentation & control engineer are PLC, HMI, and SCADA.
| Signal Engineer | Instrumentation & Control Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $87,939 | $92,464 |
| Hourly rate | $42.28 | $44.45 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 25,699 | 51,065 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 76% | Bachelor's Degree, 78% |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A signal engineer holds the responsibility of conducting feasibility studies, cost estimates, planning, budgeting, and administration relating to signal issues. They manage approved work programs for traffic signals, resolve issues with existing traffic signals, and oversee members of the traffic signal staff.
An instrumentation and control engineer is responsible for installing and designing technical components for engineering systems that would support production and manufacturing processes. Instrumentation and control engineers inspect control systems, modify features and infrastructure, configure controllers, and run multiple quality checks to ensure stability and optimal performance. They must have excellent communication and technical skills, especially in developing system codes and analyzing programming languages to serve control functions and development. An instrumentation and control engineer also resolves system issues and write resolution reports for reference.
Signal engineers and instrumentation & control engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Signal Engineer | Instrumentation & Control Engineer | |
| Average salary | $87,939 | $92,464 |
| Salary range | Between $59,000 And $129,000 | Between $70,000 And $121,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | California | Washington |
| Best paying company | Apple | Marathon Petroleum |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Energy |
There are a few differences between a signal engineer and an instrumentation & control engineer in terms of educational background:
| Signal Engineer | Instrumentation & Control Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 76% | Bachelor's Degree, 78% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Michigan Technological University | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between signal engineers' and instrumentation & control engineers' demographics:
| Signal Engineer | Instrumentation & Control Engineer | |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 93.6% Female, 6.4% | Male, 90.2% Female, 9.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.7% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 10.8% Asian, 18.8% White, 60.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 4.8% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 11.0% Asian, 14.5% White, 64.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |