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The differences between advanced engineers and project engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become an advanced engineer, becoming a project engineer takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, an advanced engineer has an average salary of $85,139, which is higher than the $75,050 average annual salary of a project engineer.
The top three skills for an advanced engineer include C++, python and MATLAB. The most important skills for a project engineer are project management, autocad, and construction management.
| Advanced Engineer | Project Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $85,139 | $75,050 |
| Hourly rate | $40.93 | $36.08 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 63,830 | 176,689 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 77% |
| Average age | 42 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 6 |
The duties of an advanced engineer primarily depend on their place or industry of employment. Typically, their responsibilities include performing research and analysis to identify project requirements, conceptualizing plans, designing and developing systems, establishing guidelines and goals, and creating strategies to optimize operations. They may also assess existing systems to identify their strengths and weaknesses, implementing solutions against problem areas. Moreover, an advanced engineer typically oversees staff performance and progress, all while enforcing the company's safety standards and regulations.
A Project Engineer develops the plan that the entire team or company will undertake. The project engineer develops the plans, strategies, and goals of a project and then gives it to the management for approval and allocation. The Project Engineer will also recommend material, equipment, and the type of personnel needed. This position is integral in the smooth flow of any project, so hiring someone to hold this position will decide the success of a project.
Advanced engineers and project engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Advanced Engineer | Project Engineer | |
| Average salary | $85,139 | $75,050 |
| Salary range | Between $69,000 And $104,000 | Between $55,000 And $100,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Richmond, CA |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | Washington |
| Best paying company | Amazon | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Energy |
There are a few differences between an advanced engineer and a project engineer in terms of educational background:
| Advanced Engineer | Project Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 77% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between advanced engineers' and project engineers' demographics:
| Advanced Engineer | Project Engineer | |
| Average age | 42 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 88.8% Female, 11.2% | Male, 87.1% Female, 12.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.6% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 11.3% Asian, 14.2% White, 65.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 3.3% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 8.7% Asian, 14.5% White, 68.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 5% |