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The differences between lead field engineers and petroleum engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-8 years to become both a lead field engineer and a petroleum engineer. Additionally, a petroleum engineer has an average salary of $99,505, which is higher than the $72,264 average annual salary of a lead field engineer.
The top three skills for a lead field engineer include project management, customer satisfaction and logistics. The most important skills for a petroleum engineer are reservoir engineering, eclipse, and production engineering.
| Lead Field Engineer | Petroleum Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $72,264 | $99,505 |
| Hourly rate | $34.74 | $47.84 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 63,711 | 15,188 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Bachelor's Degree, 78% |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 8 | 8 |
A lead field engineer tests, commissions, programs, troubleshoot, repairs, retrofits, and installs voltage power system devices. A lead field engineer also tests, commissions, troubleshoot, repairs, erects, upgrades, and vacuum-fills various transformers. Besides testing, commissioning, troubleshooting, repairing, erecting, and upgrading various voltage ratings and switchgear, a lead field engineer also schedules and executes projects on-budget and within the agreed timeline. Moreover, a lead field engineer identifies and implements standardization and improvement processes and costs to improve cost productivity.
A petroleum engineer is responsible for developing safe and efficient extracting procedures of drilling oil and gas from the underground surface. Petroleum engineers inspect the safety and stability of tools and equipment before and after every operation, conducting preventive maintenance with the machinery for its optimal performance. They also evaluate the specifications and measurements of the location by studying blueprints and analyzing statistical surveys. A petroleum engineer must have excellent analytical and organizational skills, especially when implementing drilling operations and resolving inconsistencies and equipment failures.
Lead field engineers and petroleum engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Lead Field Engineer | Petroleum Engineer | |
| Average salary | $72,264 | $99,505 |
| Salary range | Between $53,000 And $98,000 | Between $65,000 And $150,000 |
| Highest paying City | Las Vegas, NV | Las Vegas, NV |
| Highest paying state | Nevada | Nevada |
| Best paying company | Apple | Berry Petroleum Company |
| Best paying industry | Energy | - |
There are a few differences between a lead field engineer and a petroleum engineer in terms of educational background:
| Lead Field Engineer | Petroleum Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Bachelor's Degree, 78% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Petroleum Engineering |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between lead field engineers' and petroleum engineers' demographics:
| Lead Field Engineer | Petroleum Engineer | |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 95.4% Female, 4.6% | Male, 88.1% Female, 11.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.1% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 10.3% Asian, 17.2% White, 63.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 4.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 10.4% Asian, 17.2% White, 63.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |