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The differences between laboratory engineers and operations engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a laboratory engineer and an operations engineer. Additionally, a laboratory engineer has an average salary of $92,242, which is higher than the $91,522 average annual salary of an operations engineer.
The top three skills for a laboratory engineer include C++, lab environment and UL. The most important skills for an operations engineer are python, cloud, and AWS.
| Laboratory Engineer | Operations Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $92,242 | $91,522 |
| Hourly rate | $44.35 | $44.00 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 121,212 | 155,188 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 62% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
A laboratory engineer specializes in designing and developing tools and machinery for laboratory operations, ensuring efficiency and smooth workflow. Their responsibilities include installing and maintaining equipment, performing extensive research and analysis, coordinating with other experts, and identifying areas needing improvement, implementing solutions as required. They must also conduct regular maintenance checks on systems, performing corrective measures promptly and efficiently. Furthermore, as a laboratory engineer, it is essential to provide technical support while implementing the facility's policies and regulations.
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.
Laboratory engineers and operations engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Laboratory Engineer | Operations Engineer | |
| Average salary | $92,242 | $91,522 |
| Salary range | Between $62,000 And $135,000 | Between $63,000 And $132,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a laboratory engineer and an operations engineer in terms of educational background:
| Laboratory Engineer | Operations Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 62% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Michigan Technological University | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between laboratory engineers' and operations engineers' demographics:
| Laboratory Engineer | Operations Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 86.3% Female, 13.7% | Male, 89.9% Female, 10.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.3% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 8.9% Asian, 14.6% White, 68.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | 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 | 5% | 5% |