Contract mechanical designer vs mechanical contractor

The differences between contract mechanical designers and mechanical contractors 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 mechanical designer and a mechanical contractor. Additionally, a mechanical contractor has an average salary of $72,882, which is higher than the $69,294 average annual salary of a contract mechanical designer.

The top three skills for a contract mechanical designer include R, BOM and auto cad. The most important skills for a mechanical contractor are plumbing, CAD, and preventive maintenance.

Contract mechanical designer vs mechanical contractor overview

	Contract Mechanical Designer	Mechanical Contractor
Yearly salary	$69,294	$72,882
Hourly rate	$33.31	$35.04
Growth rate	2%	2%
Number of jobs	72,152	28,897
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 49%	Bachelor's Degree, 43%
Average age	41	41
Years of experience	6	6

Contract mechanical designer vs mechanical contractor salary

Contract mechanical designers and mechanical contractors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Contract Mechanical Designer	Mechanical Contractor
Average salary	$69,294	$72,882
Salary range	Between $52,000 And $91,000	Between $53,000 And $100,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between contract mechanical designer and mechanical contractor education

There are a few differences between a contract mechanical designer and a mechanical contractor in terms of educational background:

	Contract Mechanical Designer	Mechanical Contractor
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 49%	Bachelor's Degree, 43%
Most common major	Drafting And Design	Mechanical Engineering
Most common college	Carnegie Mellon University	Michigan Technological University

Contract mechanical designer vs mechanical contractor demographics

Here are the differences between contract mechanical designers' and mechanical contractors' demographics:

	Contract Mechanical Designer	Mechanical Contractor
Average age	41	41
Gender ratio	Male, 92.6% Female, 7.4%	Male, 90.3% Female, 9.7%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 3.5% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.8% Asian, 10.2% White, 71.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%	Black or African American, 3.4% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.4% Asian, 10.3% White, 72.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%
LGBT Percentage	5%	5%

Differences between contract mechanical designer and mechanical contractor duties and responsibilities

Contract mechanical designer example responsibilities.

Work with JPL / NASA packaging and fabrication engineering leads (on-site).
Correspond with various vendors to select proper HVAC equipment.
Develop detail drawings, mechanize animations, bill of materials, ECO, and ECR's.
Generate ECO to update part specification in accordance with manufacturing requirements.
Create designs and documentation to facilitate manufacture of products including drawings, BOM and material specifications.
Design and automate electro-mechanical machinery to customer specifications.

Mechanical contractor example responsibilities.

Lead all CFD and FEA (shock and vibration) efforts, including product-performance optimization and impact of DFMA.
Lead weekly toolbox safety meetings, and monitor work to ensure full compliance with OSHA / HAZWHOPPER compliance requirements.
Manage paperwork associate with HVAC procedures.
Perform service calls on all types of heating and a/c equipment.
Service A/C units up to 40 ton.
Install 2 to 4 PVC and CPVC piping for wastes off of equipment.

Contract mechanical designer vs mechanical contractor skills

Common contract mechanical designer skills

R, 9%
BOM, 8%
Auto CAD, 7%
Mechanical Design, 6%
Layout Drawings, 6%
Product Development, 5%

Common mechanical contractor skills

Plumbing, 14%
CAD, 9%
Preventive Maintenance, 8%
Mechanical Systems, 7%
Ice Machines, 4%
Heat Pumps, 4%

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Contract Mechanical Designer
Contract Mechanical Designer vs Mechanical Contractor

Updated January 8, 2025

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