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The differences between mechanical designers and requirements engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a mechanical designer, becoming a requirements engineer takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a requirements engineer has an average salary of $87,170, which is higher than the $62,541 average annual salary of a mechanical designer.
The top three skills for a mechanical designer include mechanical design, revit and auto cad. The most important skills for a requirements engineer are java, software development, and powerpoint.
| Mechanical Designer | Requirements Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $62,541 | $87,170 |
| Hourly rate | $30.07 | $41.91 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 21% |
| Number of jobs | 65,748 | 166,444 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 51% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Average age | 41 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 4 |
A mechanical designer is responsible for designing mechanical equipment and devices, together with the engineers and other technology professionals. Mechanical designers create layouts following the clients' specifications, perform structural analysis, and analyze dimensions to ensure quality. They also inspect overall equipment performance and recommend adjustments as needed to improve its quality and boost optimization. Mechanical designers assist with installation and system upgrades, respond with the clients' inquiries and concerns, and escalate it to the appropriate personnel for resolution. A mechanical designer must have a strong knowledge of the mechanical and technology industry to build designs according to the highest standards.
Requirements engineers are responsible for the analysis, documentation, coordination, and management of requirements regarding new software projects. They identify and understand the customer's project-specific demands and document them in a clear and binding way. Their duties and responsibilities also include preparing well-written and detailed documentation of the project and ensuring the project is designed and built within the legal parameters.
Mechanical designers and requirements engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Mechanical Designer | Requirements Engineer | |
| Average salary | $62,541 | $87,170 |
| Salary range | Between $46,000 And $83,000 | Between $62,000 And $120,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | California |
| Best paying company | Apple | The Citadel |
| Best paying industry | Energy | Technology |
There are a few differences between a mechanical designer and a requirements engineer in terms of educational background:
| Mechanical Designer | Requirements Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 51% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Most common major | Drafting And Design | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Carnegie Mellon University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between mechanical designers' and requirements engineers' demographics:
| Mechanical Designer | Requirements Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 89.1% Female, 10.9% | Male, 64.5% Female, 35.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.4% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.1% Asian, 10.5% White, 72.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | Black or African American, 4.6% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 8.3% Asian, 29.8% White, 52.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 8% |