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The differences between automotive engineers and contracting engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both an automotive engineer and a contracting engineer. Additionally, a contracting engineer has an average salary of $122,620, which is higher than the $82,211 average annual salary of an automotive engineer.
The top three skills for an automotive engineer include CAD, ISO and adaptive. The most important skills for a contracting engineer are C++, C #, and R.
| Automotive Engineer | Contracting Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $82,211 | $122,620 |
| Hourly rate | $39.52 | $58.95 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 104,464 | 115,631 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
An automotive engineer specializes in designing and developing vehicles for public or private use. Their job entails conducting extensive research and analyses, conceptualizing plans with fellow experts, building prototypes and structures, troubleshooting problems, and implementing multiple test procedures to identify how the vehicle operates at different conditions and ensure its quality adheres to standards and regulations. Besides developing new vehicles, an automotive engineer may also modify existing models, which requires them to study the market and consumers' feedback, identify the strengths and weaknesses of existing systems, and coordinate upgrades.
A contracting engineer specializes in overseeing engineering projects, focusing on the legalities of contracts between clients and engineers to ensure fairness in all parties involved. Most of their duties are administrative, such as gathering and analyzing data, conducting research and analyses, setting budgets and guidelines, drafting commercial tenders and other paperwork, maintaining records, and executing contracts. They are also responsible for handling contract issues and concerns, solving them promptly and efficiently. Additionally, a contracting engineer maintains an open communication line with all parties to ensure a smooth workflow.
Automotive engineers and contracting engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Automotive Engineer | Contracting Engineer | |
| Average salary | $82,211 | $122,620 |
| Salary range | Between $57,000 And $118,000 | Between $86,000 And $173,000 |
| Highest paying City | Belmont, CA | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | California | New York |
| Best paying company | Cal | EquiLend |
| Best paying industry | Hospitality | Professional |
There are a few differences between an automotive engineer and a contracting engineer in terms of educational background:
| Automotive Engineer | Contracting Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between automotive engineers' and contracting engineers' demographics:
| Automotive Engineer | Contracting Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 93.0% Female, 7.0% | Male, 88.2% Female, 11.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.2% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 8.6% Asian, 15.9% White, 67.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | Black or African American, 3.5% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.6% Asian, 11.8% White, 70.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |