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The differences between marine engineers and field engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes More than 10 years to become a marine engineer, becoming a field engineer takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a marine engineer has an average salary of $101,152, which is higher than the $71,874 average annual salary of a field engineer.
The top three skills for a marine engineer include marine engineering, autocad and HVAC. The most important skills for a field engineer are customer service, customer satisfaction, and project management.
| Marine Engineer | Field Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $101,152 | $71,874 |
| Hourly rate | $48.63 | $34.55 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 11,675 | 86,015 |
| Job satisfaction | 3.33 | 3 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Average age | 41 | 45 |
| Years of experience | - | 2 |
Marine engineers are licensed engineers who specialize in designing marine infrastructure. These marine infrastructure or vessels are usually naval ships, sailboats, cruise ships, tankers, or even submarines. Marine engineers draft plans for these vessels. They take into consideration the various sciences involved in building these ships. Marine engineers need to have a good grasp of physics, statistics, and other sciences that they need to craft a vessel. Marine engineers also create designs for controls and other mechanisms. They oversee the building process and ensure that the vessels are working properly.
A field engineer's role will vary on the industry or line of work involved. However, the primary responsibility will mostly revolve around handling equipment and machinery, ensuring that they function effectively and safely. It is also the task of a field engineer to oversee the workflow and workforce, giving directions and recommendations when necessary. Furthermore, a field engineer must develop strategies and plans to improve the site's efficiency, produce progress reports, and coordinate with other workers.
Marine engineers and field engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Marine Engineer | Field Engineer | |
| Average salary | $101,152 | $71,874 |
| Salary range | Between $69,000 And $147,000 | Between $51,000 And $99,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Rafael, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Texas | Washington |
| Best paying company | Chevron | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Energy |
There are a few differences between a marine engineer and a field engineer in terms of educational background:
| Marine Engineer | Field Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Most common major | Marine Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | University of Michigan - Ann Arbor | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between marine engineers' and field engineers' demographics:
| Marine Engineer | Field Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 91.5% Female, 8.5% | Male, 92.7% Female, 7.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.4% Unknown, 3.6% Hispanic or Latino, 7.5% Asian, 7.1% White, 72.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1% | Black or African American, 4.9% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 11.5% Asian, 14.3% White, 64.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 6% |