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The differences between solar engineers 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 engineer and an outside plant engineer. Additionally, an outside plant engineer has an average salary of $85,603, which is higher than the $77,229 average annual salary of a solar engineer.
The top three skills for a solar engineer include renewable energy, system design and solar pv. The most important skills for an outside plant engineer are CAD, outside plant, and OSP.
| Solar Engineer | Outside Plant Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $77,229 | $85,603 |
| Hourly rate | $37.13 | $41.16 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 40,951 | 34,742 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
Solar engineers and outside plant engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Solar Engineer | Outside Plant Engineer | |
| Average salary | $77,229 | $85,603 |
| Salary range | Between $53,000 And $111,000 | Between $62,000 And $117,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | - |
| Highest paying state | Washington | - |
| Best paying company | WEC Energy Group | - |
| Best paying industry | Utilities | - |
There are a few differences between a solar engineer and an outside plant engineer in terms of educational background:
| Solar Engineer | Outside Plant Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Cornell University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between solar engineers' and outside plant engineers' demographics:
| Solar Engineer | Outside Plant Engineer | |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 89.9% Female, 10.1% | Male, 85.5% Female, 14.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.8% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 11.1% Asian, 15.3% White, 63.9% 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% |