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The differences between telecom engineers and 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 an engineer. Additionally, an engineer has an average salary of $92,077, 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 an engineer are python, cloud, and C++.
| Telecom Engineer | Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $81,384 | $92,077 |
| Hourly rate | $39.13 | $44.27 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 33,530 | 618,207 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4.33 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| Average age | 45 | 41 |
| 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.
Engineers are highly trained professionals who determine the feasibility of various projects, usually related to the construction industry. They are considered experts in mathematics and science, two disciplines that they need to use in designing and coming up with plans for projects. They should also be well-versed in different construction or industrial materials, and they ensure that appropriate materials are used for the project. They also ensure that the projects meet the requirements of the groups that hired them. They create spaces that would both address the needs of the end-users and the industry standards. They also ensure that the projects they make would stand the test of time.
Telecom engineers and engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Telecom Engineer | Engineer | |
| Average salary | $81,384 | $92,077 |
| Salary range | Between $63,000 And $104,000 | Between $65,000 And $130,000 |
| Highest paying City | Hayward, CA | Huntsville, AL |
| Highest paying state | Rhode Island | New Hampshire |
| Best paying company | PayPal | Fort Bend County |
| Best paying industry | Telecommunication | Automotive |
There are a few differences between a telecom engineer and an engineer in terms of educational background:
| Telecom Engineer | Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Northeastern University | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between telecom engineers' and engineers' demographics:
| Telecom Engineer | Engineer | |
| Average age | 45 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 86.2% Female, 13.8% | Male, 86.3% Female, 13.7% |
| 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, 3.3% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.1% Asian, 15.0% White, 67.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 5% |