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Operations engineer vs engineer

The differences between operations engineers and engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both an operations engineer and an engineer. Additionally, an engineer has an average salary of $92,077, which is higher than the $91,522 average annual salary of an operations engineer.

The top three skills for an operations engineer include python, cloud and AWS. The most important skills for an engineer are python, cloud, and C++.

Operations engineer vs engineer overview

Operations EngineerEngineer
Yearly salary$91,522$92,077
Hourly rate$44.00$44.27
Growth rate2%2%
Number of jobs155,188618,207
Job satisfaction-4.33
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 62%Bachelor's Degree, 65%
Average age4141
Years of experience66

What does an operations engineer do?

An operations engineer is an individual who is responsible for ensuring that the operations of a company are working properly in industries such as manufacturing or shipping. Operations engineers are required to handle repairs or upgrades to the company's machinery and coordinate with department heads to assist in fine-tuning their operations system. When they have upgraded their system, operations engineers should conduct training with managers as well as employees and other workers. They are also required to examine machinery for defects and communicate maintenance schedules with department heads.

What does an engineer do?

Engineers are highly trained professionals who determine the feasibility of various projects, usually related to the construction industry. They are considered experts in mathematics and science, two disciplines that they need to use in designing and coming up with plans for projects. They should also be well-versed in different construction or industrial materials, and they ensure that appropriate materials are used for the project. They also ensure that the projects meet the requirements of the groups that hired them. They create spaces that would both address the needs of the end-users and the industry standards. They also ensure that the projects they make would stand the test of time.

Operations engineer vs engineer salary

Operations engineers and engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Operations EngineerEngineer
Average salary$91,522$92,077
Salary rangeBetween $63,000 And $132,000Between $65,000 And $130,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CAHuntsville, AL
Highest paying stateCaliforniaNew Hampshire
Best paying companyAppleFort Bend County
Best paying industryTechnologyAutomotive

Differences between operations engineer and engineer education

There are a few differences between an operations engineer and an engineer in terms of educational background:

Operations EngineerEngineer
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 62%Bachelor's Degree, 65%
Most common majorMechanical EngineeringMechanical Engineering
Most common collegeMichigan Technological UniversityMichigan Technological University

Operations engineer vs engineer demographics

Here are the differences between operations engineers' and engineers' demographics:

Operations EngineerEngineer
Average age4141
Gender ratioMale, 89.9% Female, 10.1%Male, 86.3% Female, 13.7%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 3.4% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.2% Asian, 10.6% White, 72.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%Black or African American, 3.3% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.1% Asian, 15.0% White, 67.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%
LGBT Percentage5%5%

Differences between operations engineer and engineer duties and responsibilities

Operations engineer example responsibilities.

  • Design, implement, and manage an enterprise class DNS and DHCP solution.
  • Used bug tracking tool JIRA to manage and track all the bugs by creating bug tickets.
  • Manage network cabling and server racking for both Ethernet and optical configurations for SAN and EMC.
  • Manage VMWARE ESXi servers to allocate virtual resources to developers, QA team and maximize the performances.
  • Create LabVIEW programs to automate test and characterization of optical components, perform testing, and analyze data.
  • Contribute PowerShell functions to a PowerShell module used to automate software upgrades.
  • Show more

Engineer example responsibilities.

  • Manage startup, trouble shooting and testing of PLC control equipment.
  • Lead project team to design and FDA validate 10-up extreme accuracy vial dosing system and CIP/SIP automate cleaning equipment.
  • Automate the creation of a WebLogic Admin and manage server deployment scheme within an installer for secure application deployment.
  • Install and test PLC in client own equipment on site - solve some logical and hardware issues to accomplish goal
  • Implement and manage continuous delivery systems and methodologies on AWS.
  • Manage Terraform and refactore from monolithic to application specific components.
  • Show more

Operations engineer vs engineer skills

Common operations engineer skills
  • Python, 9%
  • Cloud, 6%
  • AWS, 5%
  • Linux, 5%
  • Troubleshoot, 5%
  • HVAC, 4%
Common engineer skills
  • Python, 8%
  • Cloud, 6%
  • C++, 5%
  • C #, 5%
  • AWS, 5%
  • Java, 4%

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