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The differences between automotive engineers and project 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 project engineer. Additionally, an automotive engineer has an average salary of $82,211, which is higher than the $75,050 average annual salary of a project engineer.
The top three skills for an automotive engineer include CAD, ISO and adaptive. The most important skills for a project engineer are project management, autocad, and construction management.
| Automotive Engineer | Project Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $82,211 | $75,050 |
| Hourly rate | $39.52 | $36.08 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 104,464 | 176,689 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 77% |
| 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 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.
Automotive engineers and project engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Automotive Engineer | Project Engineer | |
| Average salary | $82,211 | $75,050 |
| Salary range | Between $57,000 And $118,000 | Between $55,000 And $100,000 |
| Highest paying City | Belmont, CA | Richmond, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Washington |
| Best paying company | Cal | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Hospitality | Energy |
There are a few differences between an automotive engineer and a project engineer in terms of educational background:
| Automotive Engineer | Project Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | 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 automotive engineers' and project engineers' demographics:
| Automotive Engineer | Project Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 93.0% Female, 7.0% | Male, 87.1% Female, 12.9% |
| 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, 3.3% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 8.7% Asian, 14.5% White, 68.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |