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The differences between field sales engineers and senior sales representatives can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a field sales engineer, becoming a senior sales representative takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a field sales engineer has an average salary of $90,950, which is higher than the $82,550 average annual salary of a senior sales representative.
The top three skills for a field sales engineer include HVAC, customer satisfaction and technical support. The most important skills for a senior sales representative are customer satisfaction, product knowledge, and sales consultants.
| Field Sales Engineer | Senior Sales Representative | |
| Yearly salary | $90,950 | $82,550 |
| Hourly rate | $43.73 | $39.69 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 85,486 | 210,521 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 79% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Average age | 44 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 4 |
Usually, a field sales engineer prepares and delivers technical representations explaining a company's products or services to clients. Field sales engineers confer with engineers and customers for the assessment of the necessary equipment and in the identification of the required system. They conduct research and report the status of engineering projects. It is the duty of the field engineers to ensure everything in the field works efficiently and smoothly and that the engineering designs are followed.
A senior sales representative's role is to oversee operations that mainly revolve around engaging with clients to pursue sales targets. Their responsibilities also include devising strategies that would help colleagues to attain quotas and discover new opportunities and trends that would be of help in building a more substantial client base. There are also instances where they must reach out to clients, building rapport to secure sales. Furthermore, as a senior sales representative, they have to lead fellow skilled professionals as they reach their common goals.
Field sales engineers and senior sales representatives have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Field Sales Engineer | Senior Sales Representative | |
| Average salary | $90,950 | $82,550 |
| Salary range | Between $65,000 And $125,000 | Between $46,000 And $145,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Boston, MA |
| Highest paying state | New York | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | Vuzix | |
| Best paying industry | Technology | - |
There are a few differences between a field sales engineer and a senior sales representative in terms of educational background:
| Field Sales Engineer | Senior Sales Representative | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 79% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | SUNY College of Technology at Alfred |
Here are the differences between field sales engineers' and senior sales representatives' demographics:
| Field Sales Engineer | Senior Sales Representative | |
| Average age | 44 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 90.1% Female, 9.9% | Male, 63.1% Female, 36.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 1.7% Unknown, 6.2% Hispanic or Latino, 8.3% Asian, 5.7% White, 77.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 3.8% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.2% Asian, 5.1% White, 72.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 6% |