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The differences between contract designers and product engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a contract designer and a product engineer. Additionally, a product engineer has an average salary of $89,645, which is higher than the $58,458 average annual salary of a contract designer.
The top three skills for a contract designer include assembly drawings, sketch and web banners. The most important skills for a product engineer are CAD, product design, and project management.
| Contract Designer | Product Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $58,458 | $89,645 |
| Hourly rate | $28.10 | $43.10 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 51,980 | 157,888 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
The primary duty of a Contract Designer is to deliver creative strategies and design concepts that meet the objectives of the company's project. They work with members of the sales team and/or marketing designers.
A product engineer specializes in designing and developing commercial materials and services. They are primarily responsible for conducting thorough research and analysis of the latest trends and marketing conditions to come up with new ideas and products for the public. Moreover, they are also responsible for producing reports and presentations, coordinating with the development team of their company. Product engineers also reach out to vendors and suppliers for the raw materials, set regulations and standards for the product, and even conduct a rigorous and regular quality check.
Contract designers and product engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Contract Designer | Product Engineer | |
| Average salary | $58,458 | $89,645 |
| Salary range | Between $39,000 And $86,000 | Between $68,000 And $118,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | - | California |
| Best paying company | - | Meta |
| Best paying industry | - | Technology |
There are a few differences between a contract designer and a product engineer in terms of educational background:
| Contract Designer | Product Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Most common major | Graphic Design | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Georgia Institute of Technology | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between contract designers' and product engineers' demographics:
| Contract Designer | Product Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 66.6% Female, 33.4% | Male, 87.8% Female, 12.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.4% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.1% Asian, 10.4% White, 72.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | Black or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 17.0% White, 67.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |