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The differences between technical design engineers and research 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 technical design engineer and a research engineer. Additionally, a research engineer has an average salary of $96,945, which is higher than the $75,599 average annual salary of a technical design engineer.
The top three skills for a technical design engineer include design drawings, windows and infrastructure. The most important skills for a research engineer are python, java, and software development.
| Technical Design Engineer | Research Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $75,599 | $96,945 |
| Hourly rate | $36.35 | $46.61 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 173,548 | 136,763 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 48% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
A technical design engineer specializes in designing a company's products and systems, ensuring quality and efficiency. Among their responsibilities include performing extensive research and analysis, understanding and identifying the needs of every project, developing prototypes and test structures, and coordinating with experts. There are also instances when they must conduct maintenance checks on current systems, executing repairs when necessary. Furthermore, as a technical design engineer, it is essential to maintain an active communication line with staff, coordinating them while enforcing the company's policies and regulations.
Research Engineers are responsible for a wide range of duties, including researching and developing new technologies and prototypes, and finding solutions to improve techniques, procedures, and technologies.
Technical design engineers and research engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Technical Design Engineer | Research Engineer | |
| Average salary | $75,599 | $96,945 |
| Salary range | Between $49,000 And $116,000 | Between $67,000 And $138,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Menlo Park, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Western Digital | The Citadel |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Start-up |
There are a few differences between a technical design engineer and a research engineer in terms of educational background:
| Technical Design Engineer | Research Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 48% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| Most common major | Drafting And Design | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Carnegie Mellon University | Georgia Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between technical design engineers' and research engineers' demographics:
| Technical Design Engineer | Research Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 83.7% Female, 16.3% | Male, 81.7% Female, 18.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.4% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.3% Asian, 10.3% White, 72.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | Black or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 16.9% White, 67.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |