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The differences between field sales engineers and specialist field engineers 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 specialist field engineer takes usually requires 6-8 years. Additionally, a field sales engineer has an average salary of $90,950, which is higher than the $56,430 average annual salary of a specialist field engineer.
The top three skills for a field sales engineer include HVAC, customer satisfaction and technical support. The most important skills for a specialist field engineer are oil gas, technical support, and customer support.
| Field Sales Engineer | Specialist Field Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $90,950 | $56,430 |
| Hourly rate | $43.73 | $27.13 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 85,486 | 85,618 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 79% | Bachelor's Degree, 55% |
| Average age | 44 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 8 |
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 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.
Field sales engineers and specialist field engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Field Sales Engineer | Specialist Field Engineer | |
| Average salary | $90,950 | $56,430 |
| Salary range | Between $65,000 And $125,000 | Between $40,000 And $78,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | - |
| Highest paying state | New York | - |
| Best paying company | Vuzix | - |
| Best paying industry | Technology | - |
There are a few differences between a field sales engineer and a specialist field engineer in terms of educational background:
| Field Sales Engineer | Specialist Field Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 79% | Bachelor's Degree, 55% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between field sales engineers' and specialist field engineers' demographics:
| Field Sales Engineer | Specialist Field Engineer | |
| Average age | 44 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 90.1% Female, 9.9% | Male, 92.0% Female, 8.0% |
| 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, 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 | 7% | 5% |