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The differences between mud engineers and mechanical design engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-8 years to become a mud engineer, becoming a mechanical design engineer takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a mechanical design engineer has an average salary of $75,821, which is higher than the $66,175 average annual salary of a mud engineer.
The top three skills for a mud engineer include rig, drilling fluid and polymer. The most important skills for a mechanical design engineer are CAD, mechanical design, and GD.
| Mud Engineer | Mechanical Design Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $66,175 | $75,821 |
| Hourly rate | $31.81 | $36.45 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 26,045 | 120,258 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Average age | 43 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 8 | 6 |
Mud engineers and mechanical design engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Mud Engineer | Mechanical Design Engineer | |
| Average salary | $66,175 | $75,821 |
| Salary range | Between $45,000 And $96,000 | Between $59,000 And $96,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | - | California |
| Best paying company | - | Meta |
| Best paying industry | - | Automotive |
There are a few differences between a mud engineer and a mechanical design engineer in terms of educational background:
| Mud Engineer | Mechanical Design Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Most common major | Business | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between mud engineers' and mechanical design engineers' demographics:
| Mud Engineer | Mechanical Design Engineer | |
| Average age | 43 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 93.9% Female, 6.1% | Male, 91.9% Female, 8.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.3% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 10.8% Asian, 17.0% White, 62.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | 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% |