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Senior structural engineer vs engineer

The differences between senior structural engineers and 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 senior structural engineer and an engineer. Additionally, a senior structural engineer has an average salary of $94,406, which is higher than the $92,077 average annual salary of an engineer.

The top three skills for a senior structural engineer include structural analysis, rehabilitation and RISA. The most important skills for an engineer are python, cloud, and C++.

Senior structural engineer vs engineer overview

Senior Structural EngineerEngineer
Yearly salary$94,406$92,077
Hourly rate$45.39$44.27
Growth rate7%2%
Number of jobs38,584618,207
Job satisfaction-4.33
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 61%Bachelor's Degree, 65%
Average age4141
Years of experience66

What does a senior structural engineer do?

A Senior Structural Engineer is responsible for investigating and analyzing different construction problems. They must determine the causes of defects of buildings' envelopes, roofs, walls, and other parts of construction.

What does an engineer do?

Engineers are highly trained professionals who determine the feasibility of various projects, usually related to the construction industry. They are considered experts in mathematics and science, two disciplines that they need to use in designing and coming up with plans for projects. They should also be well-versed in different construction or industrial materials, and they ensure that appropriate materials are used for the project. They also ensure that the projects meet the requirements of the groups that hired them. They create spaces that would both address the needs of the end-users and the industry standards. They also ensure that the projects they make would stand the test of time.

Senior structural engineer vs engineer salary

Senior structural engineers and engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Senior Structural EngineerEngineer
Average salary$94,406$92,077
Salary rangeBetween $70,000 And $125,000Between $65,000 And $130,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CAHuntsville, AL
Highest paying stateCaliforniaNew Hampshire
Best paying companyRivianFort Bend County
Best paying industryTransportationAutomotive

Differences between senior structural engineer and engineer education

There are a few differences between a senior structural engineer and an engineer in terms of educational background:

Senior Structural EngineerEngineer
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 61%Bachelor's Degree, 65%
Most common majorCivil EngineeringMechanical Engineering
Most common collegeUniversity of Michigan - Ann ArborMichigan Technological University

Senior structural engineer vs engineer demographics

Here are the differences between senior structural engineers' and engineers' demographics:

Senior Structural EngineerEngineer
Average age4141
Gender ratioMale, 91.0% Female, 9.0%Male, 86.3% Female, 13.7%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 3.5% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 10.4% Asian, 17.8% White, 63.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%Black or African American, 3.3% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.1% Asian, 15.0% White, 67.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%
LGBT Percentage5%5%

Differences between senior structural engineer and engineer duties and responsibilities

Senior structural engineer example responsibilities.

  • Authore substantiation documents in compliance with FAA regulations and customer requirements to achieve type certifications and supplemental type certifications.
  • Perform project programming, project scheduling and detail cost estimates used to establish priorities in rehabilitation and construction projects.
  • Train to use SAP2000 to analyze highway RC bridges.
  • Analyze existing wing of a light aircraft for increase loading using FEMAP and NASTRAN.
  • Prepare new templates in MathCAD for engineers to use such as anchor bolts and weld design.
  • Prepare parking garage condition assessment reports and repair design, using carbon fiber material for some repairs per ACI 440.2R-02.
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Engineer example responsibilities.

  • Manage startup, trouble shooting and testing of PLC control equipment.
  • Lead project team to design and FDA validate 10-up extreme accuracy vial dosing system and CIP/SIP automate cleaning equipment.
  • Automate the creation of a WebLogic Admin and manage server deployment scheme within an installer for secure application deployment.
  • Install and test PLC in client own equipment on site - solve some logical and hardware issues to accomplish goal
  • Implement and manage continuous delivery systems and methodologies on AWS.
  • Manage Terraform and refactore from monolithic to application specific components.
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Senior structural engineer vs engineer skills

Common senior structural engineer skills
  • Structural Analysis, 9%
  • Rehabilitation, 6%
  • RISA, 5%
  • ACI, 5%
  • Project Management, 5%
  • CAD, 4%
Common engineer skills
  • Python, 8%
  • Cloud, 6%
  • C++, 5%
  • C #, 5%
  • AWS, 5%
  • Java, 4%

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