If you ask Workingbear, “As an engineer, would you prefer working in R&D or in manufacturing?”

(This article may not apply to the semiconductor wafer foundry industry. Rumor has it that wafer fabs in Taiwan are notorious for their brutal work hours—engineers often sacrifice their health to keep operations running. Many parents feel proud if their kids land jobs at a major integrated circuit company because of the high pay, without realizing it can also become a career trap.)

Workingbear started out as a product and process engineer, always dealing with products and processes. If I had to answer this question, I’d probably lean toward being a design engineer. But I put a question mark there—because people often complain most about the job they know too well. Since I’ve seen firsthand how tough manufacturing can be, I naturally hesitate. But once you really understand how tough design work is, my answer might not be “design engineer” anymore.

To be clear, R&D engineers and manufacturing engineers are complementary—you can’t have one without the other. To deliver a complete product into the customer’s hands, everyone has to do their part. There’s no real hierarchy; both sides should respect and support each other.

Here, Workingbear will try to compare the two roles from a few angles. But before you choosing R&D or manufacturing, the first step is picking the right company.

Salary

This is a practical question—nobody ever complains about making too much money. Realistically, R&D engineers usually earn higher salaries than manufacturing engineers. but their “casualty rate” is also much higher. Most cases of burnout or even death from overwork you hear about happen to R&D engineers. That’s because they carry full responsibility for product development. Debugging often means late nights, and no matter how strong your liver is, it can’t handle endless abuse. (Some “Zen engineers” like to say, “When the time comes, a bug naturally becomes a spec”—just go with the flow.)

As the saying goes, “Money makes the devil work.” Many bosses believe that if they pay enough, R&D must deliver the product earlier—delays are not allowed. After all, it’s not the boss who has dark circles from staying up all night. And once the product launches successfully, profits will cover the costs anyway. That’s why higher pay for R&D often comes with a higher “liver damage index.” (Some companies even offer extra bonuses for new product launches, which lures young engineers into sacrificing their health for performance.)

On the other hand, the salaries of manufacturing engineers are tightly controlled—sometimes down to the penny. Unless you’re a top talent in the factory or lucky enough to find a niche company with little competition, your pay will mostly follow market levels. The upside, though, is a more regular schedule. Manufacturing engineers usually work normal hours, and if there’s overtime, it comes with overtime pay.

So when it comes to manufacturing salaries, Workingbear’s advice is: don’t stress too much. “As long as it’s enough, it’s fine.” Take care of your health and don’t get caught up comparing paychecks with others. As long as you stay healthy, there will always be opportunities ahead.

Working Hours

R&D engineers usually have more flexible schedules. In most companies, they don’t need to clock in. But when deadlines are tight, they often have to work late into the night—and there’s no overtime pay, since it’s always considered a “responsibility system.” In other words, no matter how late it gets, the work has to be done. During new product trial runs, if problems show up, R&D engineers must fix the bugs, no matter the hour—and usually, no one else can take their place.

Manufacturing engineers, on the other hand, are usually based in the factory. Their schedules are stricter, tied to the shifts of the production line workers. The good side is that their work hours are more regular, and they don’t travel as often. That means they can more easily balance work and family life.

Urgency and Stress

Stress often comes from within—it depends on how you handle it. But physical endurance is a big factor. Jobs that require frequent late nights become harder to manage as you get older.

For R&D engineers, work intensity rises and falls depending on the project stage. During crunch times, they may have to work day and night to develop new products or fix bugs, all under strict deadlines. Until the project is complete, the pressure is always there. Once it’s finished, there’s usually a short break before the next project begins.

For manufacturing engineers, stress comes mostly from improving yield rates and reducing production costs. Shipments must follow a fixed schedule. If the deadline arrives and the product still isn’t ready, then it’s simply not ready—like an exam where there’s no second chance.

Some people say, “There’s no such thing as a product that can’t be manufactured.” With enough manpower and equipment, you can always push something out the door. The real challenge is how to improve the process afterward. Foxconn is often seen as the classic example of this.

Future Career Paths

From what I know, R&D engineers can move toward roles like R&D manager, FAE (Field Application Engineer), or even into technical sales and customer support.

Manufacturing engineers can grow into positions such as manufacturing manager, department head (quality, engineering, equipment, etc.), or even plant manager.

These are just my personal views—feel free to correct or add more.

Workingbear’s Advice

No matter which path you choose, try to absorb knowledge like a sponge and turn it into your own skill set. In electronics, for example, it’s best if you can experience the entire product lifecycle: from investigation, design, trial run, mass production, end-of-life, all the way to obsolescence. By seeing the whole process, you’ll better understand what you truly want, and then you can set your career goals with clarity.

Related Posts:

• The Role of a Manufacturing Testing Engineer in a Company
• The Role of Process Engineers and Product Engineers in a Company