Mechanical design technician vs design engineer

The differences between mechanical design technicians and design 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 design technician and a design engineer. Additionally, a design engineer has an average salary of $77,134, which is higher than the $60,714 average annual salary of a mechanical design technician.

The top three skills for a mechanical design technician include CAD, revit and fire protection. The most important skills for a design engineer are C++, UL, and project management.

Mechanical design technician vs design engineer overview

	Mechanical Design Technician	Design Engineer
Yearly salary	$60,714	$77,134
Hourly rate	$29.19	$37.08
Growth rate	2%	2%
Number of jobs	62,685	138,173
Job satisfaction	-	5
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 59%	Bachelor's Degree, 72%
Average age	41	41
Years of experience	6	6

Mechanical design technician vs design engineer salary

Mechanical design technicians and design engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Mechanical Design Technician	Design Engineer
Average salary	$60,714	$77,134
Salary range	Between $47,000 And $77,000	Between $57,000 And $102,000
Highest paying City	-	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	-	California
Best paying company	-	Meta
Best paying industry	-	Technology

Differences between mechanical design technician and design engineer education

There are a few differences between a mechanical design technician and a design engineer in terms of educational background:

	Mechanical Design Technician	Design Engineer
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 59%	Bachelor's Degree, 72%
Most common major	Drafting And Design	Mechanical Engineering
Most common college	Northwestern University	Michigan Technological University

Mechanical design technician vs design engineer demographics

Here are the differences between mechanical design technicians' and design engineers' demographics:

	Mechanical Design Technician	Design Engineer
Average age	41	41
Gender ratio	Male, 89.3% Female, 10.7%	Male, 88.9% Female, 11.1%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 3.4% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.2% Asian, 10.4% White, 72.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%	Black or African American, 3.2% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 8.2% Asian, 16.8% White, 67.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%
LGBT Percentage	5%	5%

Differences between mechanical design technician and design engineer duties and responsibilities

Mechanical design technician example responsibilities.

Provide mechanical design and sustaining engineering expertise to troubleshoot manufacturing defect trends and achieve a more robust and producible product.
Design and model changes to drawings for support of fabrication and installation of HVAC, plumbing and major commercial/industrial/residential pipe systems.
Engineer air-conditioning, heating, refrigeration, plumbing, and electrical power supply for renovate building spaces.
Convert and clean-up architectural background drawings and establish mechanical and plumbing drawings.
Create BOM for the lines; compose design documentation utilizing technical drawings and engineering specifications.
Design and manufacture documentation for custom smart power distribution products including customer specifications and vendor BOM's.

Design engineer example responsibilities.

Utilize CREO surfacing to achieve stylize toilets and components.
Lead innovative cost reduction activities for MBD which lead to industry wide changes.
Develop software in MATLAB & LabVIEW to post-process data, analyze images, and automate test modules.
Participate in new product design reviews, lead DFM sessions with suppliers, and develop part specifications.
Validate specifications that achieve function requirements and Honda standards using FTA, FMEA, simulation, design logic & team collaboration.
Develop tools using Perl script to automate integration/verification process.

Mechanical design technician vs design engineer skills

Common mechanical design technician skills

CAD, 17%
Revit, 10%
Fire Protection, 9%
Solidworks, 8%
Assembly Drawings, 6%
BIM, 6%

Common design engineer skills

C++, 4%
UL, 4%
Project Management, 4%
Work Ethic, 4%
Engineering Design, 4%
RF, 3%

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Mechanical Design Technician
Mechanical Design Technician vs Design Engineer

Updated January 8, 2025

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