Rocket engine tester vs quality assurance inspector

The differences between rocket engine testers and quality assurance inspectors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a rocket engine tester has an average salary of $55,241, which is higher than the $36,842 average annual salary of a quality assurance inspector.

The top three skills for a rocket engine tester include mechanical design, CAD and . The most important skills for a quality assurance inspector are calipers, micrometers, and corrective action.

Rocket engine tester vs quality assurance inspector overview

	Rocket Engine Tester	Quality Assurance Inspector
Yearly salary	$55,241	$36,842
Hourly rate	$26.56	$17.71
Growth rate	-3%	-3%
Number of jobs	8,659	74,410
Job satisfaction	-	3
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 77%	Bachelor's Degree, 34%
Average age	45	45
Years of experience	-	-

Rocket engine tester vs quality assurance inspector salary

Rocket engine testers and quality assurance inspectors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Rocket Engine Tester	Quality Assurance Inspector
Average salary	$55,241	$36,842
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $113,000	Between $27,000 And $49,000
Highest paying City	-	Renton, WA
Highest paying state	-	Washington
Best paying company	-	Los Alamos National Laboratory
Best paying industry	-	Government

Differences between rocket engine tester and quality assurance inspector education

There are a few differences between a rocket engine tester and a quality assurance inspector in terms of educational background:

	Rocket Engine Tester	Quality Assurance Inspector
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 77%	Bachelor's Degree, 34%
Most common major	Mechanical Engineering	Business
Most common college	-	-

Rocket engine tester vs quality assurance inspector demographics

Here are the differences between rocket engine testers' and quality assurance inspectors' demographics:

	Rocket Engine Tester	Quality Assurance Inspector
Average age	45	45
Gender ratio	Male, 86.7% Female, 13.3%	Male, 71.7% Female, 28.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.6% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 16.6% Asian, 7.5% White, 61.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 11.0% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 21.2% Asian, 9.1% White, 53.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	4%	4%

Differences between rocket engine tester and quality assurance inspector duties and responsibilities

Rocket engine tester example responsibilities.

Work with the inter-departments with DOD, OHSA, and EPA to submit proposal for a new heavy lift vehicle.
Work closely with NASA customers and ATK personnel to recommend solutions to difficult issues in redesign.
Ensure compliance with environmental regulations.

Quality assurance inspector example responsibilities.

Coordinate joint surveys with SATORP inspectors and manage clearance of all issue active LBE and NCR.
Work with IPC and ISO regulations.
Examine parts for damage or excessive wear using micrometers and gauges and other specialize test equipment.
Measure dimensions of products to verify conformance to specifications, using measuring instruments such as rulers, calipers or micrometers.
Inspect and measure surgical steel medical devices for critical dimensions, checking tolerance using micrometers and calipers reading from blueprint designs.
Qualify coating systems and painters to ASTM standards.

Rocket engine tester vs quality assurance inspector skills

Common rocket engine tester skills

Mechanical Design, 62%
CAD, 38%

Common quality assurance inspector skills

Calipers, 7%
Micrometers, 6%
Corrective Action, 5%
Safety Standards, 5%
Inspection Reports, 4%
Quality Standards, 4%

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Rocket Engine Tester vs Quality Assurance Inspector

Updated January 8, 2025

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