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The differences between test design engineers and quality engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a test design engineer, becoming a quality engineer takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a test design engineer has an average salary of $88,403, which is higher than the $79,672 average annual salary of a quality engineer.
The top three skills for a test design engineer include test equipment, RF and python. The most important skills for a quality engineer are corrective action, continuous improvement, and ISO.
| Test Design Engineer | Quality Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $88,403 | $79,672 |
| Hourly rate | $42.50 | $38.30 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 125,776 | 96,838 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 76% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Average age | 41 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 4 |
A Test Design Engineer's job is to critically check all materials, processes, electrical, and mechanical systems to ensure that customers get high-quality products. As a Test Design Engineer, your job is to run tests to check the quality of products throughout the production cycle. This is done by checking the various components and features of these products to identify and fix technical issues easily. Your duties will also include checking the raw materials used for production, creating test environments and analyzing the results, and trying to ascertain the root cause of the malfunctions.
A quality engineer's responsibilities include ensuring that the manufacturing processes are efficient and accurate, documenting findings that would raise concerns, conducting quality tests while observing parameters, and implementing changes as necessary to meet the highest quality standards. Quality engineers need to have excellent problem-solving and observation skills to detect any irregularities and possible malfunctions. They also must be able to communicate effectively with the clients for feedbacks and corrective adjustments, address complaints, and immediately resolve any inconsistencies made.
Test design engineers and quality engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Test Design Engineer | Quality Engineer | |
| Average salary | $88,403 | $79,672 |
| Salary range | Between $67,000 And $115,000 | Between $61,000 And $103,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Washington |
| Best paying company | Apple | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Technology |
There are a few differences between a test design engineer and a quality engineer in terms of educational background:
| Test Design Engineer | Quality Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 76% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Michigan Technological University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between test design engineers' and quality engineers' demographics:
| Test Design Engineer | Quality Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 87.2% Female, 12.8% | Male, 78.2% Female, 21.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 17.2% White, 67.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | Black or African American, 4.7% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 11.5% Asian, 13.9% White, 65.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 4% |