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The differences between mechanical field engineers and mechanical 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 field engineer and a mechanical design engineer. Additionally, a mechanical field engineer has an average salary of $82,132, which is higher than the $75,821 average annual salary of a mechanical design engineer.
The top three skills for a mechanical field engineer include troubleshoot, outage and gas turbines. The most important skills for a mechanical design engineer are CAD, mechanical design, and GD.
| Mechanical Field Engineer | Mechanical Design Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $82,132 | $75,821 |
| Hourly rate | $39.49 | $36.45 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 115,757 | 120,258 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
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 mechanical design engineer specializes in designing various mechanical devices that will be vital in developing machinery or large structures. One of their primary responsibilities revolves around conducting thorough research and analysis, establishing layouts and prototypes, producing progress reports, and working alongside fellow engineers and skilled professionals. Typically assigned in an office setting, a mechanical design engineer must visit construction sites or factories to test and observe equipment qualities. Furthermore, during production, there are instances when a mechanical engineer must coordinate with suppliers, contractors, and clients.
Mechanical field engineers and mechanical design engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Mechanical Field Engineer | Mechanical Design Engineer | |
| Average salary | $82,132 | $75,821 |
| Salary range | Between $60,000 And $111,000 | Between $59,000 And $96,000 |
| Highest paying City | Hayward, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Amazon | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Energy | Automotive |
There are a few differences between a mechanical field engineer and a mechanical design engineer in terms of educational background:
| Mechanical Field Engineer | Mechanical Design Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Michigan Technological University | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between mechanical field engineers' and mechanical design engineers' demographics:
| Mechanical Field Engineer | Mechanical Design Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 93.5% Female, 6.5% | Male, 91.9% Female, 8.1% |
| 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, 3.2% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 8.2% Asian, 16.4% White, 67.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |