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The differences between student engineers and product 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 product engineer. Additionally, a product engineer has an average salary of $89,645, 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 product engineer are CAD, product design, and project management.
| Student Engineer | Product Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $71,947 | $89,645 |
| Hourly rate | $34.59 | $43.10 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 98,036 | 157,888 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 78% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| 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 product engineer specializes in designing and developing commercial materials and services. They are primarily responsible for conducting thorough research and analysis of the latest trends and marketing conditions to come up with new ideas and products for the public. Moreover, they are also responsible for producing reports and presentations, coordinating with the development team of their company. Product engineers also reach out to vendors and suppliers for the raw materials, set regulations and standards for the product, and even conduct a rigorous and regular quality check.
Student engineers and product engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Student Engineer | Product Engineer | |
| Average salary | $71,947 | $89,645 |
| Salary range | Between $54,000 And $95,000 | Between $68,000 And $118,000 |
| 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 product engineer in terms of educational background:
| Student Engineer | Product Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 78% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| 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 product engineers' demographics:
| Student Engineer | Product Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 78.8% Female, 21.2% | Male, 87.8% Female, 12.2% |
| 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, 3.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 17.0% White, 67.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |