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The differences between mechanical field engineers and staff 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 staff engineer. Additionally, a staff engineer has an average salary of $107,530, which is higher than the $82,132 average annual salary of a mechanical field engineer.
The top three skills for a mechanical field engineer include troubleshoot, outage and gas turbines. The most important skills for a staff engineer are java, python, and architecture.
| Mechanical Field Engineer | Staff Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $82,132 | $107,530 |
| Hourly rate | $39.49 | $51.70 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 115,757 | 277,011 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| 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.
Staff engineers are responsible for designing, developing, and inspecting various products, equipment, or structures. These professionals may perform varied duties depending on their specialization that includes overseeing the design and construction of buildings, bridges, sewer systems, and other infrastructure, estimating the financial costs of construction projects, and ensuring compliance with health and safety laws and regulations. Other duties include designing and developing machinery, tools, and engines, solving design problems, and building the manufacturing equipment needed to create their products.
Mechanical field engineers and staff engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Mechanical Field Engineer | Staff Engineer | |
| Average salary | $82,132 | $107,530 |
| Salary range | Between $60,000 And $111,000 | Between $69,000 And $167,000 |
| Highest paying City | Hayward, CA | San Mateo, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Amazon | Flexport |
| Best paying industry | Energy | Telecommunication |
There are a few differences between a mechanical field engineer and a staff engineer in terms of educational background:
| Mechanical Field Engineer | Staff Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| 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 staff engineers' demographics:
| Mechanical Field Engineer | Staff Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 93.5% Female, 6.5% | Male, 87.9% Female, 12.1% |
| 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, 3.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 16.8% White, 67.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |