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The differences between solar engineers 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 engineer, becoming a junior engineer takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a solar engineer has an average salary of $77,229, which is higher than the $70,653 average annual salary of a junior engineer.
The top three skills for a solar engineer include renewable energy, system design and solar pv. The most important skills for a junior engineer are control systems, java, and C++.
| Solar Engineer | Junior Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $77,229 | $70,653 |
| Hourly rate | $37.13 | $33.97 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 40,951 | 107,703 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Average age | 45 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 6 |
Solar engineers and junior engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Solar Engineer | Junior Engineer | |
| Average salary | $77,229 | $70,653 |
| Salary range | Between $53,000 And $111,000 | Between $54,000 And $91,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Washington |
| Best paying company | WEC Energy Group | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Utilities | Technology |
There are a few differences between a solar engineer and a junior engineer in terms of educational background:
| Solar Engineer | Junior Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Civil Engineering |
| Most common college | Cornell University | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between solar engineers' and junior engineers' demographics:
| Solar Engineer | Junior Engineer | |
| Average age | 45 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 89.9% Female, 10.1% | Male, 83.4% Female, 16.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.8% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 11.1% Asian, 15.3% White, 63.9% 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% |