How To Become A Specialist Field Engineer: What It Is and Career Path

What is a specialist field engineer and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted expert

Dr. Alison Graettinger

The responsibilities of a specialist engineer are as technical as they are challenging. So be ready to tackle challenging fieldwork if you plan on venturing into this career. As a specialist field engineer, you will oversee technical or mechanical issues in your company and be in charge of maintenance as well. A specialist field engineer often works in Oil and gas companies and clinics. A field specialist provides skilled technical services on the field and can work in different organizations. Therefore, their duties differ, depending on the individual company.

In terms of skills, a specialist field engineer must be very organized and neat. Additionally, problem-solving is a huge part of this job. Besides, you will most likely be working with teams, so you also need to be a good team player. Lastly, you need to be able to work under pressure.

The educational qualifications specialist field engineers need to gain employment may differ depending on the industry. Generally, the candidate must have a bachelor's degree in computer-related studies or engineering. You may also require an associate's degree in the technological field. Payment for field engineers is $109,790 a year.

What general advice would you give to a specialist field engineer?

Dr. Alison Graettinger

Associate Professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Missouri - Kansas City

Some common challenges for field based positions is the amount of travel involved or working in extreme weather conditions.

ScoreSpecialist Field EngineerUS Average

Salary

4.4

Avg. Salary $56,430

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

8.0

Growth rate 8%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.0

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.29%

Asian 17.14%

Black or African American 4.21%

Hispanic or Latino 10.53%

Unknown 4.72%

White 63.12%

Gender

female 8.04%

male 91.96%

Age - 42

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 42

Stress level

8.0

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.6

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

4.8

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a specialist field engineer

Explore specialist field engineer education requirements

Most common specialist field engineer degrees

Bachelor's

55.1 %

Associate

30.9 %

Master's

6.7 %

Start to develop specific specialist field engineer skills

Skills	Percentages
Oil Gas	62.38%
Technical Support	10.96%
Customer Support	5.90%
PPE	4.72%
Infrastructure	2.68%

Complete relevant specialist field engineer training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New specialist field engineers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a specialist field engineer based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real specialist field engineer resumes.

Research specialist field engineer duties and responsibilities

Manage OS upgrade with new workstations project for whole company.
Manage the development and employment of images for operational workstations.
Promote from original position as a staff engineer managing a variety of geotechnical engineering activities to a field engineer inspector position.
Evaluate technical issues, solve customer concerns, and troubleshoot computer problems in an efficient and courteous manner.

Prepare your specialist field engineer resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your specialist field engineer resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a specialist field engineer resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable specialist field engineer resume templates

Build a professional specialist field engineer resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your specialist field engineer resume.