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The differences between student engineers and design engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a student engineer and a design engineer. Additionally, a design engineer has an average salary of $77,134, which is higher than the $71,947 average annual salary of a student engineer.
The top three skills for a student engineer include GPA, C++ and CAD. The most important skills for a design engineer are C++, UL, and project management.
| Student Engineer | Design Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $71,947 | $77,134 |
| Hourly rate | $34.59 | $37.08 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 98,036 | 138,173 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 78% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
A student engineer is an individual who trains to become a full pledge professional engineer by gaining working experience in the field of engineering. By using their knowledge in the principles of science and mathematics, student engineers should help other professionals develop economical solutions and solve technical problems. They are required to engage themselves in the testing, production, or maintenance of newly developed products. Student engineers are also required to work closely with their senior managers or supervisors.
A design engineer is responsible for creating systems and applications based on their expertise. Design engineers work through client specifications based on business needs. A design engineer also provides recommendations on improving existing systems to boost its performance and increase efficiency. Design engineers must have an excellent command of computer systems, programming codes, and technical data to ensure the system's stability and high-quality processes. A design engineer should also have strong analytical and time-management skills to perform tasks and meet deadlines.
Student engineers and design engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Student Engineer | Design Engineer | |
| Average salary | $71,947 | $77,134 |
| Salary range | Between $54,000 And $95,000 | Between $57,000 And $102,000 |
| Highest paying City | Yakima, WA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | California |
| Best paying company | JPMorgan Chase & Co. | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Transportation | Technology |
There are a few differences between a student engineer and a design engineer in terms of educational background:
| Student Engineer | Design Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 78% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between student engineers' and design engineers' demographics:
| Student Engineer | Design Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 78.8% Female, 21.2% | Male, 88.9% Female, 11.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.2% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 8.5% Asian, 15.9% White, 67.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | Black or African American, 3.2% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 8.2% Asian, 16.8% White, 67.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |