Cargo surveyor vs civil engineer

The differences between cargo surveyors and civil engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a cargo surveyor, becoming a civil engineer takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a cargo surveyor has an average salary of $80,171, which is higher than the $70,950 average annual salary of a civil engineer.

The top three skills for a cargo surveyor include commodities, board vessels and cargo operations. The most important skills for a civil engineer are civil 3d, engineering design, and cost estimates.

Cargo surveyor vs civil engineer overview

	Cargo Surveyor	Civil Engineer
Yearly salary	$80,171	$70,950
Hourly rate	$38.54	$34.11
Growth rate	1%	7%
Number of jobs	2,762	26,803
Job satisfaction	-	5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 60%	Bachelor's Degree, 77%
Average age	49	41
Years of experience	2	6

Cargo surveyor vs civil engineer salary

Cargo surveyors and civil engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Cargo Surveyor	Civil Engineer
Average salary	$80,171	$70,950
Salary range	Between $45,000 And $141,000	Between $51,000 And $97,000
Highest paying City	-	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	-	California
Best paying company	-	The Citadel
Best paying industry	-	Construction

Differences between cargo surveyor and civil engineer education

There are a few differences between a cargo surveyor and a civil engineer in terms of educational background:

	Cargo Surveyor	Civil Engineer
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 60%	Bachelor's Degree, 77%
Most common major	Business	Civil Engineering
Most common college	Northwestern University	University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Cargo surveyor vs civil engineer demographics

Here are the differences between cargo surveyors' and civil engineers' demographics:

	Cargo Surveyor	Civil Engineer
Average age	49	41
Gender ratio	Male, 100.0% Female, 0.0%	Male, 83.6% Female, 16.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.8% Unknown, 7.2% Hispanic or Latino, 11.0% Asian, 6.0% White, 63.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%	Black or African American, 3.8% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 11.2% Asian, 15.6% White, 64.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	11%	5%

Differences between cargo surveyor and civil engineer duties and responsibilities

Cargo surveyor example responsibilities.

Adjust and operate surveying instruments such as prisms, theodolites, and electronicdistance-measuring equipment.
Coordinate with freight forwarders to expedite international shipments.

Civil engineer example responsibilities.

Manage production of full sets of contract documents (grading, drainage, water, sewer, paving and SWPPP).
Manage project programming requirements and manage HVAC design activities.
Project manage the overall reorganizing and restructuring of the telecommunication department.
Design engineer and project manager for HVAC, plumbing, and fire protection systems.
Support and troubleshoot Hewlett Packard printers, servers, switches, thin clients, and Cisco phone systems.
Handle and continuously update project documentation as as-built records and construction record reports.

Cargo surveyor vs civil engineer skills

Common cargo surveyor skills

Commodities, 61%
Board Vessels, 19%
Cargo Operations, 12%
Business Proposals, 8%

Common civil engineer skills

Civil 3D, 11%
Engineering Design, 7%
Cost Estimates, 7%
Project Management, 6%
Construction Projects, 4%
Engineering Projects, 4%

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Cargo Surveyor
Cargo Surveyor vs Civil Engineer

Updated January 8, 2025

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