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The differences between solar designers and junior engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a solar designer, becoming a junior engineer takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a junior engineer has an average salary of $70,653, which is higher than the $58,292 average annual salary of a solar designer.
The top three skills for a solar designer include CAD, system design and solar power. The most important skills for a junior engineer are control systems, java, and C++.
| Solar Designer | Junior Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $58,292 | $70,653 |
| Hourly rate | $28.02 | $33.97 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 46,160 | 107,703 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Average age | 45 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 6 |
Solar designers and junior engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Solar Designer | Junior Engineer | |
| Average salary | $58,292 | $70,653 |
| Salary range | Between $35,000 And $94,000 | Between $54,000 And $91,000 |
| Highest paying City | Petaluma, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Washington |
| Best paying company | Smith & Associates | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Technology |
There are a few differences between a solar designer and a junior engineer in terms of educational background:
| Solar Designer | Junior Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Civil Engineering |
| Most common college | Carnegie Mellon University | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between solar designers' and junior engineers' demographics:
| Solar Designer | Junior Engineer | |
| Average age | 45 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 88.1% Female, 11.9% | Male, 83.4% Female, 16.6% |
| Race ratio | 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% | Black or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 16.7% White, 67.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 5% |