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The differences between mechanical field engineers and field 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 field engineer, becoming a field engineer takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a mechanical field engineer has an average salary of $82,132, which is higher than the $71,874 average annual salary of a field engineer.
The top three skills for a mechanical field engineer include troubleshoot, outage and gas turbines. The most important skills for a field engineer are customer service, customer satisfaction, and project management.
| Mechanical Field Engineer | Field Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $82,132 | $71,874 |
| Hourly rate | $39.49 | $34.55 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 115,757 | 86,015 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 3 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Average age | 41 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 2 |
A mechanical field engineer is an engineering professional who works on-site on a variety of projects. The responsibilities of this position are inspecting and installing equipment, conducting research, reporting project status, and resolving on-site malfunctions. They also perform administrative tasks, create reports, and ensure adherence to client specifications.
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.
Mechanical field engineers and field engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Mechanical Field Engineer | Field Engineer | |
| Average salary | $82,132 | $71,874 |
| Salary range | Between $60,000 And $111,000 | Between $51,000 And $99,000 |
| Highest paying City | Hayward, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Washington |
| Best paying company | Amazon | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Energy | Energy |
There are a few differences between a mechanical field engineer and a field engineer in terms of educational background:
| Mechanical Field Engineer | Field Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Michigan Technological University | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between mechanical field engineers' and field engineers' demographics:
| Mechanical Field Engineer | Field Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 93.5% Female, 6.5% | Male, 92.7% Female, 7.3% |
| Race ratio | Black 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, 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 | 5% | 6% |