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The differences between automotive engineers and staff 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 staff engineer. Additionally, a staff engineer has an average salary of $107,530, 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 staff engineer are java, python, and architecture.
| Automotive Engineer | Staff Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $82,211 | $107,530 |
| Hourly rate | $39.52 | $51.70 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 104,464 | 277,011 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| 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.
Staff engineers are responsible for designing, developing, and inspecting various products, equipment, or structures. These professionals may perform varied duties depending on their specialization that includes overseeing the design and construction of buildings, bridges, sewer systems, and other infrastructure, estimating the financial costs of construction projects, and ensuring compliance with health and safety laws and regulations. Other duties include designing and developing machinery, tools, and engines, solving design problems, and building the manufacturing equipment needed to create their products.
Automotive engineers and staff engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Automotive Engineer | Staff Engineer | |
| Average salary | $82,211 | $107,530 |
| Salary range | Between $57,000 And $118,000 | Between $69,000 And $167,000 |
| Highest paying City | Belmont, CA | San Mateo, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Cal | Flexport |
| Best paying industry | Hospitality | Telecommunication |
There are a few differences between an automotive engineer and a staff engineer in terms of educational background:
| Automotive Engineer | Staff Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between automotive engineers' and staff engineers' demographics:
| Automotive Engineer | Staff Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 93.0% Female, 7.0% | Male, 87.9% Female, 12.1% |
| 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, 3.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 16.8% White, 67.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |