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The differences between solid waste engineers and principal engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-12 months to become a solid waste engineer, becoming a principal engineer takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a principal engineer has an average salary of $130,213, which is higher than the $65,568 average annual salary of a solid waste engineer.
The top three skills for a solid waste engineer include landfill, hazardous waste and waste disposal. The most important skills for a principal engineer are java, architecture, and python.
| Solid Waste Engineer | Principal Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $65,568 | $130,213 |
| Hourly rate | $31.52 | $62.60 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 1,851 | 312,683 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 36% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Average age | 43 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 6 |
Solid waste engineers and principal engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Solid Waste Engineer | Principal Engineer | |
| Average salary | $65,568 | $130,213 |
| Salary range | Between $45,000 And $94,000 | Between $95,000 And $177,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | San Mateo, CA |
| Highest paying state | - | California |
| Best paying company | - | Grubhub |
| Best paying industry | - | Telecommunication |
There are a few differences between a solid waste engineer and a principal engineer in terms of educational background:
| Solid Waste Engineer | Principal Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 36% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Most common major | Business | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between solid waste engineers' and principal engineers' demographics:
| Solid Waste Engineer | Principal Engineer | |
| Average age | 43 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 84.9% Female, 15.1% | Male, 92.6% Female, 7.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.8% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 10.6% Asian, 12.4% White, 69.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 16.6% White, 67.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 13% | 5% |