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The differences between space engineers and principal engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a space 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 $97,322 average annual salary of a space engineer.
The top three skills for a space engineer include MATLAB, data analysis and payload. The most important skills for a principal engineer are java, architecture, and python.
| Space Engineer | Principal Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $97,322 | $130,213 |
| Hourly rate | $46.79 | $62.60 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 23,825 | 312,683 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 84% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Average age | 44 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 6 |
Space engineers and principal engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Space Engineer | Principal Engineer | |
| Average salary | $97,322 | $130,213 |
| Salary range | Between $74,000 And $126,000 | 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 space engineer and a principal engineer in terms of educational background:
| Space Engineer | Principal Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 84% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between space engineers' and principal engineers' demographics:
| Space Engineer | Principal Engineer | |
| Average age | 44 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 74.0% Female, 26.0% | Male, 92.6% Female, 7.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.2% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 11.0% Asian, 11.0% White, 69.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | 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 | 8% | 5% |