Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between product development engineers and student 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 product development engineer and a student engineer. Additionally, a product development engineer has an average salary of $86,075, which is higher than the $71,947 average annual salary of a student engineer.
The top three skills for a product development engineer include CAD, solidworks and product development. The most important skills for a student engineer are GPA, C++, and CAD.
| Product Development Engineer | Student Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $86,075 | $71,947 |
| Hourly rate | $41.38 | $34.59 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 202,155 | 98,036 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Bachelor's Degree, 78% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
A Product Development Engineer is responsible for creating and testing new product designs. They collaborate with market researchers to evaluate market needs, existing competition, and potential costs.
A student engineer is an individual who trains to become a full pledge professional engineer by gaining working experience in the field of engineering. By using their knowledge in the principles of science and mathematics, student engineers should help other professionals develop economical solutions and solve technical problems. They are required to engage themselves in the testing, production, or maintenance of newly developed products. Student engineers are also required to work closely with their senior managers or supervisors.
Product development engineers and student engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Product Development Engineer | Student Engineer | |
| Average salary | $86,075 | $71,947 |
| Salary range | Between $64,000 And $113,000 | Between $54,000 And $95,000 |
| Highest paying City | Sunnyvale, CA | Yakima, WA |
| Highest paying state | California | Washington |
| Best paying company | Amazon | JPMorgan Chase & Co. |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Transportation |
There are a few differences between a product development engineer and a student engineer in terms of educational background:
| Product Development Engineer | Student Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Bachelor's Degree, 78% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Michigan Technological University | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between product development engineers' and student engineers' demographics:
| Product Development Engineer | Student Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 86.8% Female, 13.2% | Male, 78.8% Female, 21.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 16.7% White, 67.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | Black or African American, 3.2% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 8.5% Asian, 15.9% White, 67.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |