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The differences between mechanical field engineers and project 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 project engineer. Additionally, a mechanical field engineer has an average salary of $82,132, which is higher than the $75,050 average annual salary of a project engineer.
The top three skills for a mechanical field engineer include troubleshoot, outage and gas turbines. The most important skills for a project engineer are project management, autocad, and construction management.
| Mechanical Field Engineer | Project Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $82,132 | $75,050 |
| Hourly rate | $39.49 | $36.08 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 115,757 | 176,689 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 77% |
| 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 Project Engineer develops the plan that the entire team or company will undertake. The project engineer develops the plans, strategies, and goals of a project and then gives it to the management for approval and allocation. The Project Engineer will also recommend material, equipment, and the type of personnel needed. This position is integral in the smooth flow of any project, so hiring someone to hold this position will decide the success of a project.
Mechanical field engineers and project engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Mechanical Field Engineer | Project Engineer | |
| Average salary | $82,132 | $75,050 |
| Salary range | Between $60,000 And $111,000 | Between $55,000 And $100,000 |
| Highest paying City | Hayward, CA | Richmond, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Washington |
| Best paying company | Amazon | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Energy | Energy |
There are a few differences between a mechanical field engineer and a project engineer in terms of educational background:
| Mechanical Field Engineer | Project Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 77% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Michigan Technological University | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between mechanical field engineers' and project engineers' demographics:
| Mechanical Field Engineer | Project Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 93.5% Female, 6.5% | Male, 87.1% Female, 12.9% |
| 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, 3.3% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 8.7% Asian, 14.5% White, 68.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |