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The differences between marine engineers and lead 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 lead engineer takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a marine engineer has an average salary of $101,152, which is higher than the $84,927 average annual salary of a lead engineer.
The top three skills for a marine engineer include marine engineering, autocad and HVAC. The most important skills for a lead engineer are java, python, and architecture.
| Marine Engineer | Lead Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $101,152 | $84,927 |
| Hourly rate | $48.63 | $40.83 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 11,675 | 301,777 |
| Job satisfaction | 3.33 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | - | 6 |
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 lead engineer's duties vary on their line of work or industry of employment. Typically, their responsibilities will revolve around overseeing the progress of operations and performance of the workforce, ensuring that everything is running smoothly. They are also responsible for addressing issues and concerns, assessing risks, monitoring the budget, coordinating with clients and architects, and even training workers. Furthermore, as a lead engineer, it is crucial to conduct regular inspections to ensure the quality of work and maintain a safe environment for all workers.
Marine engineers and lead engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Marine Engineer | Lead Engineer | |
| Average salary | $101,152 | $84,927 |
| Salary range | Between $69,000 And $147,000 | Between $60,000 And $120,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Rafael, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Texas | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | Chevron | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Automotive |
There are a few differences between a marine engineer and a lead engineer in terms of educational background:
| Marine Engineer | Lead Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Most common major | Marine Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | University of Michigan - Ann Arbor | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between marine engineers' and lead engineers' demographics:
| Marine Engineer | Lead Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 91.5% Female, 8.5% | Male, 90.8% Female, 9.2% |
| 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, 3.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 16.8% White, 67.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 5% |