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The differences between drilling fluids engineers and oil well engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-8 years to become both a drilling fluids engineer and an oil well engineer. Additionally, a drilling fluids engineer has an average salary of $89,974, which is higher than the $83,972 average annual salary of an oil well engineer.
The top three skills for a drilling fluids engineer include drilling fluid, fluid systems and polymer. The most important skills for an oil well engineer are AFE, engineering support, and well design.
| Drilling Fluids Engineer | Oil Well Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $89,974 | $83,972 |
| Hourly rate | $43.26 | $40.37 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 5,121 | 2,568 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 82% |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 8 | 8 |
Drilling fluids engineers and oil well engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Drilling Fluids Engineer | Oil Well Engineer | |
| Average salary | $89,974 | $83,972 |
| Salary range | Between $52,000 And $154,000 | Between $47,000 And $147,000 |
| Highest paying City | Houston, TX | Tulsa, OK |
| Highest paying state | Nevada | Nevada |
| Best paying company | Koch Industries | Exxon Mobil |
| Best paying industry | Energy | - |
There are a few differences between a drilling fluids engineer and an oil well engineer in terms of educational background:
| Drilling Fluids Engineer | Oil Well Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 82% |
| Most common major | Business | Petroleum Engineering |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between drilling fluids engineers' and oil well engineers' demographics:
| Drilling Fluids Engineer | Oil Well Engineer | |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 95.0% Female, 5.0% | Male, 88.3% Female, 11.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.3% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 10.8% Asian, 17.0% White, 62.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 4.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 10.6% Asian, 17.1% White, 63.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |