Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between contracting engineers and hardware engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a contracting engineer, becoming a hardware engineer takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a contracting engineer has an average salary of $122,620, which is higher than the $104,912 average annual salary of a hardware engineer.
The top three skills for a contracting engineer include C++, C # and R. The most important skills for a hardware engineer are python, RF, and PCB.
| Contracting Engineer | Hardware Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $122,620 | $104,912 |
| Hourly rate | $58.95 | $50.44 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 115,631 | 53,213 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 1 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Average age | 41 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 2 |
A contracting engineer specializes in overseeing engineering projects, focusing on the legalities of contracts between clients and engineers to ensure fairness in all parties involved. Most of their duties are administrative, such as gathering and analyzing data, conducting research and analyses, setting budgets and guidelines, drafting commercial tenders and other paperwork, maintaining records, and executing contracts. They are also responsible for handling contract issues and concerns, solving them promptly and efficiently. Additionally, a contracting engineer maintains an open communication line with all parties to ensure a smooth workflow.
Hardware engineers or computer hardware engineers are responsible for developing, designing, and examining computer hardware. They help speed up new computer technology by creating enhancements in computer hardware. The hardware engineers oversee the installation of parts, manufacturing, and production. Also, they examine intricate equipment to identify an effective way to improve it as well as design devices used in manufactured products. Another responsibility is to ensure computer hardware units work with the newest software, which often requires collaboration with other software engineers.
Contracting engineers and hardware engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Contracting Engineer | Hardware Engineer | |
| Average salary | $122,620 | $104,912 |
| Salary range | Between $86,000 And $173,000 | Between $77,000 And $142,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | New York | Washington |
| Best paying company | EquiLend | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Automotive |
There are a few differences between a contracting engineer and a hardware engineer in terms of educational background:
| Contracting Engineer | Hardware Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Michigan Technological University | Northeastern University |
Here are the differences between contracting engineers' and hardware engineers' demographics:
| Contracting Engineer | Hardware Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 88.2% Female, 11.8% | Male, 90.3% Female, 9.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.5% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.6% Asian, 11.8% White, 70.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | Black or African American, 6.3% Unknown, 2.9% Hispanic or Latino, 9.9% Asian, 30.3% White, 50.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 4% |