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The differences between laser engineers and manufacturing engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a laser engineer, becoming a manufacturing engineer takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a laser engineer has an average salary of $85,319, which is higher than the $78,522 average annual salary of a manufacturing engineer.
The top three skills for a laser engineer include MATLAB, data collection and labview. The most important skills for a manufacturing engineer are lean manufacturing, CAD, and solidworks.
| Laser Engineer | Manufacturing Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $85,319 | $78,522 |
| Hourly rate | $41.02 | $37.75 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 4,901 | 115,384 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 2 |
A laser engineer is one who specializes in making and developing laser devices or machines that is for laser purposes. They supervises the laser team in operating and ensuring that all laser-related equipment is functioning well. They can also specialize in doing advanced optics or optic devices. Their responsibilities include the regular monitoring and optimization of laser outputs as well as finding out a reasonable solution on how to handles laser issues that will be arising.
Manufacturing Engineers are responsible for handling and developing an efficient manufacturing system or procedure that will help a company produce up to standard products while in adherence to the policies, regulations, and expected cost and schedule. Furthermore, Manufacturing Engineers must also monitor quality control, identify or detect errors, provide and suggest improvements, oversee the procurement of materials involved in the production, and coordinate with various teams or departments within the company to ensure the effectiveness of innovations or new developments.
Laser engineers and manufacturing engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Laser Engineer | Manufacturing Engineer | |
| Average salary | $85,319 | $78,522 |
| Salary range | Between $62,000 And $116,000 | Between $60,000 And $102,000 |
| Highest paying City | Redwood City, CA | Palo Alto, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Booz Allen Hamilton | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a laser engineer and a manufacturing engineer in terms of educational background:
| Laser Engineer | Manufacturing Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Most common major | Physics | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Georgia Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between laser engineers' and manufacturing engineers' demographics:
| Laser Engineer | Manufacturing Engineer | |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 94.8% Female, 5.2% | Male, 88.8% Female, 11.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 10.5% Asian, 18.0% White, 62.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 4.3% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 10.8% Asian, 17.0% White, 62.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |