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The differences between engine room operators and operations engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become an engine room operator, becoming an operations engineer takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, an operations engineer has an average salary of $91,522, which is higher than the $37,546 average annual salary of an engine room operator.
The top three skills for an engine room operator include troubleshoot, math and safety procedures. The most important skills for an operations engineer are python, cloud, and AWS.
| Engine Room Operator | Operations Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $37,546 | $91,522 |
| Hourly rate | $18.05 | $44.00 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 61,977 | 155,188 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 38% | Bachelor's Degree, 62% |
| Average age | 50 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 6 |
An Engine Room Operator is one who operates and monitors the engines of a ship. This person is responsible for inspecting the engine, managing its operation, and reporting immediately any problems and requests for repairs, troubleshoots, and upgrades for the engine. The maintenance inside the engine room is essential for the continued operation of the ship. Included in the responsibilities is ensuring the engine area's safety and its personnel from any problems, such as fires, preventable mishaps, and accidents.
An operations engineer is an individual who is responsible for ensuring that the operations of a company are working properly in industries such as manufacturing or shipping. Operations engineers are required to handle repairs or upgrades to the company's machinery and coordinate with department heads to assist in fine-tuning their operations system. When they have upgraded their system, operations engineers should conduct training with managers as well as employees and other workers. They are also required to examine machinery for defects and communicate maintenance schedules with department heads.
Engine room operators and operations engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Engine Room Operator | Operations Engineer | |
| Average salary | $37,546 | $91,522 |
| Salary range | Between $28,000 And $49,000 | Between $63,000 And $132,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | - | California |
| Best paying company | - | Apple |
| Best paying industry | - | Technology |
There are a few differences between an engine room operator and an operations engineer in terms of educational background:
| Engine Room Operator | Operations Engineer | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 38% | Bachelor's Degree, 62% |
| Most common major | Business | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | - | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between engine room operators' and operations engineers' demographics:
| Engine Room Operator | Operations Engineer | |
| Average age | 50 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 55.7% Female, 44.3% | Male, 89.9% Female, 10.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.0% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 18.3% Asian, 7.7% White, 59.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | Black or African American, 3.4% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.2% Asian, 10.6% White, 72.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 5% |