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The differences between machine designers and chief 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 machine designer and a chief engineer. Additionally, a chief engineer has an average salary of $108,050, which is higher than the $69,937 average annual salary of a machine designer.
The top three skills for a machine designer include solidworks, machine design and autocad. The most important skills for a chief engineer are HVAC, plumbing, and customer service.
| Machine Designer | Chief Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $69,937 | $108,050 |
| Hourly rate | $33.62 | $51.95 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 81,897 | 88,473 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 45% | Bachelor's Degree, 49% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
A mechanical designer creates and draws different designs for pieces of machinery and other equipment. They are often patterned with engineers and other related professionals to create a variety of types of machinery. Typically they work in an office setting, with the majority at architecture, manufacturing, and engineering firms. They may also be the person who develops and provides layout designs for customers and clients. A person who is creative, has a background in product development, and possesses analytic skills may be a great fit for the job.
A chief engineer is responsible for monitoring the engineering department's overall operations, ensuring performance efficiency, and everyone's strict compliance with the safety standards and regulatory procedures. Chief engineers manage the distribution of the tasks to the team, communicate with the clients and management for instructions and specifications, monitor expenses and forecast sales reports, analyze and approve designs, negotiate contracts, and process disputes. A chief engineer must have excellent knowledge of the engineering disciplines and exemplary leadership skills to handle the team's performance towards the company's objectives.
Machine designers and chief engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Machine Designer | Chief Engineer | |
| Average salary | $69,937 | $108,050 |
| Salary range | Between $48,000 And $100,000 | Between $65,000 And $177,000 |
| Highest paying City | Santa Ana, CA | Palo Alto, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Energy Inc. | BGC Partners |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Transportation |
There are a few differences between a machine designer and a chief engineer in terms of educational background:
| Machine Designer | Chief Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 45% | Bachelor's Degree, 49% |
| Most common major | Drafting And Design | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Carnegie Mellon University | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between machine designers' and chief engineers' demographics:
| Machine Designer | Chief Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 94.6% Female, 5.4% | Male, 96.2% Female, 3.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.5% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.9% Asian, 10.2% White, 71.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | Black or African American, 3.5% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.9% Asian, 10.2% White, 71.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |