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The differences between telecom engineers and circuit design 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 telecom engineer and a circuit design engineer. Additionally, a circuit design engineer has an average salary of $107,694, which is higher than the $81,384 average annual salary of a telecom engineer.
The top three skills for a telecom engineer include voip, telephony and telecommunication. The most important skills for a circuit design engineer are circuit design, CMOS, and RF.
| Telecom Engineer | Circuit Design Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $81,384 | $107,694 |
| Hourly rate | $39.13 | $51.78 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 33,530 | 70,906 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
Telecom engineers are engineering experts who design and install telecommunication equipment to ensure the transmission of high-quality data over wired or wireless communication. Due to their in-depth understanding of emerging technologies, these engineers are required to create solution designs such as drawings and design documents as well as offer guidance to reduce complexity and costs. They must identify and resolve any issues related to fiber optics and copper cables while setting up system monitoring to reduce equipment failure and incident response time. Telecom engineers are also required to operate and improve the telephony systems.
A circuit design engineer specializes in designing and developing electrical components and circuits in devices and machinery. Among their responsibilities include identifying the needs of every project, developing strategies to attain optimal quality, developing diagrams and test structures, troubleshooting, and repairing issues. They must also perform regular maintenance checks on existing systems and perform upgrades and corrective measures as needed. Moreover, a circuit design engineer typically works in a team setting, which requires an active communication line for a smooth and efficient workflow.
Telecom engineers and circuit design engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Telecom Engineer | Circuit Design Engineer | |
| Average salary | $81,384 | $107,694 |
| Salary range | Between $63,000 And $104,000 | Between $84,000 And $137,000 |
| Highest paying City | Hayward, CA | Federal Way, WA |
| Highest paying state | Rhode Island | Rhode Island |
| Best paying company | PayPal | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Telecommunication | Technology |
There are a few differences between a telecom engineer and a circuit design engineer in terms of educational background:
| Telecom Engineer | Circuit Design Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Northeastern University | Northeastern University |
Here are the differences between telecom engineers' and circuit design engineers' demographics:
| Telecom Engineer | Circuit Design Engineer | |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 86.2% Female, 13.8% | Male, 74.4% Female, 25.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.8% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 11.3% Asian, 14.6% White, 64.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 4.6% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 10.5% Asian, 19.9% White, 60.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |