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The differences between design supervisors and mechanical designers 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 a mechanical designer. Additionally, a design supervisor has an average salary of $78,150, which is higher than the $62,541 average annual salary of a mechanical designer.
The top three skills for a design supervisor include autocad, engineering drawings and engineering design. The most important skills for a mechanical designer are mechanical design, revit, and auto cad.
| Design Supervisor | Mechanical Designer | |
| Yearly salary | $78,150 | $62,541 |
| Hourly rate | $37.57 | $30.07 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 37,558 | 65,748 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 52% | Associate Degree, 51% |
| 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.
A mechanical designer is responsible for designing mechanical equipment and devices, together with the engineers and other technology professionals. Mechanical designers create layouts following the clients' specifications, perform structural analysis, and analyze dimensions to ensure quality. They also inspect overall equipment performance and recommend adjustments as needed to improve its quality and boost optimization. Mechanical designers assist with installation and system upgrades, respond with the clients' inquiries and concerns, and escalate it to the appropriate personnel for resolution. A mechanical designer must have a strong knowledge of the mechanical and technology industry to build designs according to the highest standards.
Design supervisors and mechanical designers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Design Supervisor | Mechanical Designer | |
| Average salary | $78,150 | $62,541 |
| Salary range | Between $48,000 And $127,000 | Between $46,000 And $83,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Jose, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | Micron Technology | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Energy |
There are a few differences between a design supervisor and a mechanical designer in terms of educational background:
| Design Supervisor | Mechanical Designer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 52% | Associate Degree, 51% |
| Most common major | Drafting And Design | Drafting And Design |
| Most common college | Carnegie Mellon University | Carnegie Mellon University |
Here are the differences between design supervisors' and mechanical designers' demographics:
| Design Supervisor | Mechanical Designer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 77.0% Female, 23.0% | Male, 89.1% Female, 10.9% |
| 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, 3.4% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.1% Asian, 10.5% White, 72.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |