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The differences between design supervisors and mechanical 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 a mechanical engineer. Additionally, a design supervisor has an average salary of $78,150, which is higher than the $75,352 average annual salary of a mechanical engineer.
The top three skills for a design supervisor include autocad, engineering drawings and engineering design. The most important skills for a mechanical engineer are CAD, solidworks, and mechanical systems.
| Design Supervisor | Mechanical Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $78,150 | $75,352 |
| Hourly rate | $37.57 | $36.23 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 37,558 | 105,618 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 52% | Bachelor's Degree, 77% |
| 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.
Mechanical Engineers oversee the development of various mechanical devices in different industries. Most of the responsibilities will revolve around crafting, improving, or designing technologies by utilizing extensive expertise in the subject; they identify and detect errors, provide in-depth analysis, and resolve issues. They are often in designated offices, but they can also work on-site and travel if necessary. Furthermore, Mechanical Engineers usually function in a group or team setting, often supervised by personnel in higher positions.
Design supervisors and mechanical engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Design Supervisor | Mechanical Engineer | |
| Average salary | $78,150 | $75,352 |
| Salary range | Between $48,000 And $127,000 | Between $58,000 And $97,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Jose, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Washington |
| Best paying company | Micron Technology | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Energy |
There are a few differences between a design supervisor and a mechanical engineer in terms of educational background:
| Design Supervisor | Mechanical Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 52% | Bachelor's Degree, 77% |
| 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 mechanical engineers' demographics:
| Design Supervisor | Mechanical Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 77.0% Female, 23.0% | Male, 90.6% Female, 9.4% |
| 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, 3.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 16.6% White, 68.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |