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The differences between senior structural designers and aerospace engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a senior structural designer and an aerospace engineer. Additionally, an aerospace engineer has an average salary of $100,401, which is higher than the $96,422 average annual salary of a senior structural designer.
The top three skills for a senior structural designer include autocad, revit and structural design. The most important skills for an aerospace engineer are C++, DOD, and FAA.
| Senior Structural Designer | Aerospace Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $96,422 | $100,401 |
| Hourly rate | $46.36 | $48.27 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 47,653 | 42,086 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 48% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A senior structural designer designs structures such as bridges, dams, parks, or telecommunication structures. They create designs, document them, and analyze structural functionality. Frequently, they must attend meetings and seminars to distribute designs to junior structural designers. They also perform peer reviews and write reports.
An aerospace engineer specializes in designing, maintaining, and repairing aircraft and spacecraft. Their responsibilities revolve around conducting tests and procedures to identify faults and inconsistencies, lead production processes, performing repairs and improvements, designing systems, and ensuring that all equipment complies with the safety regulations and standards. They are also responsible for producing technical materials such as reports, proposals, and manuals. Furthermore, there are instances where they must set the policies and standards on the equipment they are developing while utilizing their expertise in mathematics, engineering, and sciences.
Senior structural designers and aerospace engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Structural Designer | Aerospace Engineer | |
| Average salary | $96,422 | $100,401 |
| Salary range | Between $67,000 And $137,000 | Between $71,000 And $140,000 |
| Highest paying City | The Woodlands, TX | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Arizona |
| Best paying company | Shell | Thrush Aircraft |
| Best paying industry | Utilities | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a senior structural designer and an aerospace engineer in terms of educational background:
| Senior Structural Designer | Aerospace Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 48% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Most common major | Drafting And Design | Aerospace Engineering |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Georgia Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between senior structural designers' and aerospace engineers' demographics:
| Senior Structural Designer | Aerospace Engineer | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 92.3% Female, 7.7% | Male, 88.8% Female, 11.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.2% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 11.4% Asian, 10.9% White, 68.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 4.1% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 10.8% Asian, 11.0% White, 69.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |