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Mechanical contractor vs research and development engineer

The differences between mechanical contractors and research and development 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 mechanical contractor and a research and development engineer. Additionally, a research and development engineer has an average salary of $100,169, which is higher than the $72,882 average annual salary of a mechanical contractor.

The top three skills for a mechanical contractor include plumbing, CAD and preventive maintenance. The most important skills for a research and development engineer are python, R, and solidworks.

Mechanical contractor vs research and development engineer overview

Mechanical ContractorResearch And Development Engineer
Yearly salary$72,882$100,169
Hourly rate$35.04$48.16
Growth rate2%2%
Number of jobs28,897187,910
Job satisfaction-5
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 43%Bachelor's Degree, 70%
Average age4141
Years of experience66

Mechanical contractor vs research and development engineer salary

Mechanical contractors and research and development engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Mechanical ContractorResearch And Development Engineer
Average salary$72,882$100,169
Salary rangeBetween $53,000 And $100,000Between $74,000 And $135,000
Highest paying City-Santa Rosa, CA
Highest paying state-California
Best paying company-Meta
Best paying industry-Technology

Differences between mechanical contractor and research and development engineer education

There are a few differences between a mechanical contractor and a research and development engineer in terms of educational background:

Mechanical ContractorResearch And Development Engineer
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 43%Bachelor's Degree, 70%
Most common majorMechanical EngineeringMechanical Engineering
Most common collegeMichigan Technological UniversityMassachusetts Institute of Technology

Mechanical contractor vs research and development engineer demographics

Here are the differences between mechanical contractors' and research and development engineers' demographics:

Mechanical ContractorResearch And Development Engineer
Average age4141
Gender ratioMale, 90.3% Female, 9.7%Male, 85.2% Female, 14.8%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 3.4% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.4% Asian, 10.3% White, 72.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%Black or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 16.7% White, 67.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%
LGBT Percentage5%5%

Differences between mechanical contractor and research and development engineer duties and responsibilities

Mechanical contractor example responsibilities.

  • Lead all CFD and FEA (shock and vibration) efforts, including product-performance optimization and impact of DFMA.
  • Lead weekly toolbox safety meetings, and monitor work to ensure full compliance with OSHA / HAZWHOPPER compliance requirements.
  • Manage paperwork associate with HVAC procedures.
  • Perform service calls on all types of heating and a/c equipment.
  • Service A/C units up to 40 ton.
  • Install 2 to 4 PVC and CPVC piping for wastes off of equipment.
  • Show more

Research and development engineer example responsibilities.

  • Manage, design, and assist in development of product family reusable code libraries, visualization and GUI components.
  • Manage test suite jobs for the team creating configurations and building binaries for C++ code using Jenkins and bash shell.
  • Charge with managing a range of key operational functions in support of 3D visualization studio with $1.3M in annual contracts.
  • Lead a team of software QA test engineers in the prioritization and assignment of tasks and the solving of technical problems.
  • Manage quality issues during development/production and ensure ISO compliance.
  • Manage and maintain production equipment, including conformance to ISO calibration requirements.
  • Show more

Mechanical contractor vs research and development engineer skills

Common mechanical contractor skills
  • Plumbing, 14%
  • CAD, 9%
  • Preventive Maintenance, 8%
  • Mechanical Systems, 7%
  • Ice Machines, 4%
  • Heat Pumps, 4%
Common research and development engineer skills
  • Python, 7%
  • R, 6%
  • Solidworks, 5%
  • CAD, 5%
  • Data Analysis, 4%
  • Patients, 4%

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