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The differences between solar designers and outside plant engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a solar designer and an outside plant engineer. Additionally, an outside plant engineer has an average salary of $85,603, which is higher than the $58,292 average annual salary of a solar designer.
The top three skills for a solar designer include CAD, system design and solar power. The most important skills for an outside plant engineer are CAD, outside plant, and OSP.
| Solar Designer | Outside Plant Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $58,292 | $85,603 |
| Hourly rate | $28.02 | $41.16 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 46,160 | 34,742 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
Solar designers and outside plant engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Solar Designer | Outside Plant Engineer | |
| Average salary | $58,292 | $85,603 |
| Salary range | Between $35,000 And $94,000 | Between $62,000 And $117,000 |
| Highest paying City | Petaluma, CA | - |
| Highest paying state | California | - |
| Best paying company | Smith & Associates | - |
| Best paying industry | Professional | - |
There are a few differences between a solar designer and an outside plant engineer in terms of educational background:
| Solar Designer | Outside Plant Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Carnegie Mellon University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between solar designers' and outside plant engineers' demographics:
| Solar Designer | Outside Plant Engineer | |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 88.1% Female, 11.9% | Male, 85.5% Female, 14.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.8% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 11.1% Asian, 14.5% White, 64.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 4.8% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 11.1% Asian, 14.5% White, 64.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |