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The differences between refrigeration engineers and product 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 product engineer. Additionally, a product engineer has an average salary of $89,645, 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 product engineer are CAD, product design, and project management.
| Refrigeration Engineer | Product Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $88,921 | $89,645 |
| Hourly rate | $42.75 | $43.10 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 64,405 | 157,888 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 43% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| 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 product engineer specializes in designing and developing commercial materials and services. They are primarily responsible for conducting thorough research and analysis of the latest trends and marketing conditions to come up with new ideas and products for the public. Moreover, they are also responsible for producing reports and presentations, coordinating with the development team of their company. Product engineers also reach out to vendors and suppliers for the raw materials, set regulations and standards for the product, and even conduct a rigorous and regular quality check.
Refrigeration engineers and product engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Refrigeration Engineer | Product Engineer | |
| Average salary | $88,921 | $89,645 |
| Salary range | Between $62,000 And $125,000 | Between $68,000 And $118,000 |
| Highest paying City | Newark, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Standex International | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Technology |
There are a few differences between a refrigeration engineer and a product engineer in terms of educational background:
| Refrigeration Engineer | Product Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 43% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| 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 product engineers' demographics:
| Refrigeration Engineer | Product Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 99.0% Female, 1.0% | Male, 87.8% Female, 12.2% |
| 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, 3.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 17.0% White, 67.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |