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The differences between senior structural designers and aircraft 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 aircraft engineer. Additionally, a senior structural designer has an average salary of $96,422, which is higher than the $72,867 average annual salary of an aircraft engineer.
The top three skills for a senior structural designer include autocad, revit and structural design. The most important skills for an aircraft engineer are DOD, aircraft systems, and CAD.
| Senior Structural Designer | Aircraft Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $96,422 | $72,867 |
| Hourly rate | $46.36 | $35.03 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 47,653 | 5,718 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 48% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| 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 aircraft engineer oversees the design and assembly of an aircraft. Broadly, they are responsible for developing aircraft designs, testing and fine-tuning them, and ensuring safe practices during the assembly process. Specifically, this involves providing design drafts, meeting with executives to get feedback, and working in an engineering team to improve designs. They must consider aerodynamic principles, air safety, passenger comfort, and customer. This position requires an advanced degree and strong experience in the aviation field.
Senior structural designers and aircraft engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Structural Designer | Aircraft Engineer | |
| Average salary | $96,422 | $72,867 |
| Salary range | Between $67,000 And $137,000 | Between $53,000 And $99,000 |
| Highest paying City | The Woodlands, TX | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | California |
| Best paying company | Shell | Joby Aviation |
| Best paying industry | Utilities | Transportation |
There are a few differences between a senior structural designer and an aircraft engineer in terms of educational background:
| Senior Structural Designer | Aircraft Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 48% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Most common major | Drafting And Design | Aerospace Engineering |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between senior structural designers' and aircraft engineers' demographics:
| Senior Structural Designer | Aircraft Engineer | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 92.3% Female, 7.7% | Male, 91.1% Female, 8.9% |
| 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, 4.2% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 11.4% Asian, 10.8% White, 68.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |