Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between refrigeration engineers and contracting 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 refrigeration engineer and a contracting engineer. Additionally, a contracting engineer has an average salary of $122,620, which is higher than the $88,921 average annual salary of a refrigeration engineer.
The top three skills for a refrigeration engineer include HVAC, freon and plumbing. The most important skills for a contracting engineer are C++, C #, and R.
| Refrigeration Engineer | Contracting Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $88,921 | $122,620 |
| Hourly rate | $42.75 | $58.95 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 64,405 | 115,631 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 43% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
Refrigeration engineers are generally called to design and oversee the fabrication of both residential and industrial refrigeration systems, as well as troubleshoot any potential problems therewith. This choice of career will require a good knowledge base of thermodynamics, as well as computer-aided design systems. Refrigeration engineers must also have an understanding of health and safety regulation standards.
A contracting engineer specializes in overseeing engineering projects, focusing on the legalities of contracts between clients and engineers to ensure fairness in all parties involved. Most of their duties are administrative, such as gathering and analyzing data, conducting research and analyses, setting budgets and guidelines, drafting commercial tenders and other paperwork, maintaining records, and executing contracts. They are also responsible for handling contract issues and concerns, solving them promptly and efficiently. Additionally, a contracting engineer maintains an open communication line with all parties to ensure a smooth workflow.
Refrigeration engineers and contracting engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Refrigeration Engineer | Contracting Engineer | |
| Average salary | $88,921 | $122,620 |
| Salary range | Between $62,000 And $125,000 | Between $86,000 And $173,000 |
| Highest paying City | Newark, CA | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | California | New York |
| Best paying company | Standex International | EquiLend |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Professional |
There are a few differences between a refrigeration engineer and a contracting engineer in terms of educational background:
| Refrigeration Engineer | Contracting Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 43% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Most common major | Heating And Air Conditioning | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Duke University | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between refrigeration engineers' and contracting engineers' demographics:
| Refrigeration Engineer | Contracting Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 99.0% Female, 1.0% | Male, 88.2% Female, 11.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.4% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.2% Asian, 10.4% White, 72.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | Black or African American, 3.5% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.6% Asian, 11.8% White, 70.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |