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The differences between substations electrical engineers and electrical & instrumentation designers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a substations electrical engineer and an electrical & instrumentation designer. Additionally, a substations electrical engineer has an average salary of $88,149, which is higher than the $81,188 average annual salary of an electrical & instrumentation designer.
The top three skills for a substations electrical engineer include IEEE, ac and dc. The most important skills for an electrical & instrumentation designer are PLC, instrumentation design, and control systems.
| Substations Electrical Engineer | Electrical & Instrumentation Designer | |
| Yearly salary | $88,149 | $81,188 |
| Hourly rate | $42.38 | $39.03 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 44,451 | 81,243 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Associate Degree, 53% |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
Substation electrical engineers are engineering professionals who design medium and high voltage substations that are used to transmit and distribute electricity. These engineers are required to maintain substation equipment specifications that are according to the current industry standards and operating policies. They must review design drawings and perform load analysis to select the overall platform's power requirements. Substation electrical engineers must also provide cost estimates for substation projects as well as prepare layout drawings for future substation expansion.
An electrical instrumentation designer's main job is to design instruments that can be used in various areas such as laboratories, power plants, or research institutes. They work together with a team or individually to design instruments, create a prototype, and test its functions. They can even install these instruments in different establishments and locations. They are tasked with repair and training engineers. At other times, they are assigned to record expenses and other documentation.
Substations electrical engineers and electrical & instrumentation designers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Substations Electrical Engineer | Electrical & Instrumentation Designer | |
| Average salary | $88,149 | $81,188 |
| Salary range | Between $68,000 And $112,000 | Between $60,000 And $109,000 |
| Highest paying City | Albuquerque, NM | - |
| Highest paying state | Washington | - |
| Best paying company | Kiewit | - |
| Best paying industry | Construction | - |
There are a few differences between a substations electrical engineer and an electrical & instrumentation designer in terms of educational background:
| Substations Electrical Engineer | Electrical & Instrumentation Designer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Associate Degree, 53% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Drafting And Design |
| Most common college | Michigan Technological University | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between substations electrical engineers' and electrical & instrumentation designers' demographics:
| Substations Electrical Engineer | Electrical & Instrumentation Designer | |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 88.9% Female, 11.1% | Male, 85.2% Female, 14.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.8% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 11.1% Asian, 16.5% White, 62.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 4.9% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 11.5% Asian, 14.3% White, 64.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |