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The differences between field engineers and project managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a project manager has an average salary of $91,578, which is higher than the $71,874 average annual salary of a field engineer.
The top three skills for a field engineer include customer service, customer satisfaction and project management. The most important skills for a project manager are project management, project scope, and customer service.
| Field Engineer | Project Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $71,874 | $91,578 |
| Hourly rate | $34.55 | $44.03 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 86,015 | 167,116 |
| Job satisfaction | 3 | 4.17 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Average age | 45 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 2 | - |
A field engineer's role will vary on the industry or line of work involved. However, the primary responsibility will mostly revolve around handling equipment and machinery, ensuring that they function effectively and safely. It is also the task of a field engineer to oversee the workflow and workforce, giving directions and recommendations when necessary. Furthermore, a field engineer must develop strategies and plans to improve the site's efficiency, produce progress reports, and coordinate with other workers.
Project managers oversee a specific project related to the organization's business. They manage the whole project from inception to evaluation. They initiate planning with involved departments, follow-through on the plans, ensure smooth execution of the plans, and evaluate the project for further improvements should these be needed. In line with this, project managers also ensure that the project is cost-efficient and well within the budget. They also manage the different work teams involved in the project and ensure that things are running smoothly on this aspect as well.
Field engineers and project managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Field Engineer | Project Manager | |
| Average salary | $71,874 | $91,578 |
| Salary range | Between $51,000 And $99,000 | Between $64,000 And $129,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | The Citadel |
| Best paying industry | Energy | Technology |
There are a few differences between a field engineer and a project manager in terms of educational background:
| Field Engineer | Project Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Business |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between field engineers' and project managers' demographics:
| Field Engineer | Project Manager | |
| Average age | 45 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 92.7% Female, 7.3% | Male, 68.9% Female, 31.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.9% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 11.5% Asian, 14.3% White, 64.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 7.7% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 12.9% Asian, 9.0% White, 65.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 10% |