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The differences between professional engineers and design 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 professional engineer and a design engineer. Additionally, a professional engineer has an average salary of $86,348, which is higher than the $77,134 average annual salary of a design engineer.
The top three skills for a professional engineer include civil engineering, project management and PE. The most important skills for a design engineer are C++, UL, and project management.
| Professional Engineer | Design Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $86,348 | $77,134 |
| Hourly rate | $41.51 | $37.08 |
| Growth rate | 7% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 74,009 | 138,173 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 77% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
A professional engineer specializes in designing and developing systems and structures through different principles. Although their duties will vary upon their industry of employment, it typically includes performing site assessments and examinations, studying the purpose and goals of the project, developing plans and guidelines, monitoring the progress of operations, and resolving issues and concerns promptly and efficiently. They may work together with architects and senior engineers, liaise with clients or contractors, and perform regular site inspections. Furthermore, a professional engineer must implement safety protocols and regulations to maintain a safe and efficient work environment.
A design engineer is responsible for creating systems and applications based on their expertise. Design engineers work through client specifications based on business needs. A design engineer also provides recommendations on improving existing systems to boost its performance and increase efficiency. Design engineers must have an excellent command of computer systems, programming codes, and technical data to ensure the system's stability and high-quality processes. A design engineer should also have strong analytical and time-management skills to perform tasks and meet deadlines.
Professional engineers and design engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Professional Engineer | Design Engineer | |
| Average salary | $86,348 | $77,134 |
| Salary range | Between $63,000 And $118,000 | Between $57,000 And $102,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | California |
| Best paying company | Bayer | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Technology |
There are a few differences between a professional engineer and a design engineer in terms of educational background:
| Professional Engineer | Design Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 77% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Most common major | Civil Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between professional engineers' and design engineers' demographics:
| Professional Engineer | Design Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 87.5% Female, 12.5% | Male, 88.9% Female, 11.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.0% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 11.7% Asian, 12.6% White, 66.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 3.2% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 8.2% Asian, 16.8% White, 67.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |