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The differences between drilling fluids engineers and specialist field 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 a specialist field engineer. Additionally, a drilling fluids engineer has an average salary of $89,974, which is higher than the $56,430 average annual salary of a specialist field engineer.
The top three skills for a drilling fluids engineer include drilling fluid, fluid systems and polymer. The most important skills for a specialist field engineer are oil gas, technical support, and customer support.
| Drilling Fluids Engineer | Specialist Field Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $89,974 | $56,430 |
| Hourly rate | $43.26 | $27.13 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 5,121 | 85,618 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 55% |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 8 | 8 |
Together with a drilling rig engineer, a drilling fluids engineer helps with the pumping of fluids, testing liquids for unwanted particles. They also are involved in mixing fluids needed to drill oil or gas. Another task is providing reports for fluid properties acquired and giving recommendations. They keep a timely record of the performance of each staff member. If staffing is inadequate, they are also tasked to calculate funds for the drilling, allocating budget in both the procedures and miscellaneous expenses.
A specialist field engineer works in construction areas or factories. They conduct on-site research, diagnose machinery problems, and make repairs. They also install new systems as necessary. They prepare purchase agreements, confidentiality agreements, and reports.
Drilling fluids engineers and specialist field engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Drilling Fluids Engineer | Specialist Field Engineer | |
| Average salary | $89,974 | $56,430 |
| Salary range | Between $52,000 And $154,000 | Between $40,000 And $78,000 |
| Highest paying City | Houston, TX | - |
| Highest paying state | Nevada | - |
| Best paying company | Koch Industries | - |
| Best paying industry | Energy | - |
There are a few differences between a drilling fluids engineer and a specialist field engineer in terms of educational background:
| Drilling Fluids Engineer | Specialist Field Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 55% |
| Most common major | Business | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between drilling fluids engineers' and specialist field engineers' demographics:
| Drilling Fluids Engineer | Specialist Field Engineer | |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 95.0% Female, 5.0% | Male, 92.0% Female, 8.0% |
| 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, 10.5% Asian, 17.1% White, 63.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |