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The differences between design supervisors and 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 design supervisor and an engineer. Additionally, an engineer has an average salary of $92,077, which is higher than the $78,150 average annual salary of a design supervisor.
The top three skills for a design supervisor include autocad, engineering drawings and engineering design. The most important skills for an engineer are python, cloud, and C++.
| Design Supervisor | Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $78,150 | $92,077 |
| Hourly rate | $37.57 | $44.27 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 37,558 | 618,207 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4.33 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 52% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
A design supervisor oversees the daily operations of an organization's design team, ensuring projects are completed within deadlines, budgets, and client requirements. They are primarily responsible for understanding project specifications, establishing budgets and guidelines, coordinating with managers, delegating responsibilities, and conducting regular assessments and evaluations to ensure operations run smoothly and efficiently according to industry standards and regulations. They may also communicate directly with clients to provide them with updates, present reports to the director, and liaise with external parties such as suppliers and distributors.
Engineers are highly trained professionals who determine the feasibility of various projects, usually related to the construction industry. They are considered experts in mathematics and science, two disciplines that they need to use in designing and coming up with plans for projects. They should also be well-versed in different construction or industrial materials, and they ensure that appropriate materials are used for the project. They also ensure that the projects meet the requirements of the groups that hired them. They create spaces that would both address the needs of the end-users and the industry standards. They also ensure that the projects they make would stand the test of time.
Design supervisors and engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Design Supervisor | Engineer | |
| Average salary | $78,150 | $92,077 |
| Salary range | Between $48,000 And $127,000 | Between $65,000 And $130,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Jose, CA | Huntsville, AL |
| Highest paying state | California | New Hampshire |
| Best paying company | Micron Technology | Fort Bend County |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Automotive |
There are a few differences between a design supervisor and an engineer in terms of educational background:
| Design Supervisor | Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 52% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| Most common major | Drafting And Design | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Carnegie Mellon University | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between design supervisors' and engineers' demographics:
| Design Supervisor | Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 77.0% Female, 23.0% | Male, 86.3% Female, 13.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.4% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.2% Asian, 10.4% White, 72.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | Black or African American, 3.3% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.1% Asian, 15.0% White, 67.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |