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The differences between substations electrical engineers and electrical project engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a substations electrical engineer and an electrical project engineer. Additionally, a substations electrical engineer has an average salary of $88,149, which is higher than the $84,342 average annual salary of an electrical project engineer.
The top three skills for a substations electrical engineer include IEEE, ac and dc. The most important skills for an electrical project engineer are project management, autocad, and PLC.
| Substations Electrical Engineer | Electrical Project Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $88,149 | $84,342 |
| Hourly rate | $42.38 | $40.55 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 44,451 | 67,802 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Bachelor's Degree, 78% |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
Substation electrical engineers are engineering professionals who design medium and high voltage substations that are used to transmit and distribute electricity. These engineers are required to maintain substation equipment specifications that are according to the current industry standards and operating policies. They must review design drawings and perform load analysis to select the overall platform's power requirements. Substation electrical engineers must also provide cost estimates for substation projects as well as prepare layout drawings for future substation expansion.
Electrical Project Engineers have licensed engineers involved in a project which specifically works on electrical or electricity-related concerns. They design the electrical systems that are needed for the success of the project. They draw up these systems using software and identify the materials needed to create these. They would then develop these systems by creating them using the materials and test if their design is working. Once they validate the design works and address the project's needs, electrical project engineers would work on controlling, maintaining, and repairing these systems as needed.
Substations electrical engineers and electrical project engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Substations Electrical Engineer | Electrical Project Engineer | |
| Average salary | $88,149 | $84,342 |
| Salary range | Between $68,000 And $112,000 | Between $64,000 And $109,000 |
| Highest paying City | Albuquerque, NM | Richmond, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Kiewit | Amazon |
| Best paying industry | Construction | Hospitality |
There are a few differences between a substations electrical engineer and an electrical project engineer in terms of educational background:
| Substations Electrical Engineer | Electrical Project Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Bachelor's Degree, 78% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Michigan Technological University | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between substations electrical engineers' and electrical project engineers' demographics:
| Substations Electrical Engineer | Electrical Project Engineer | |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 88.9% Female, 11.1% | Male, 92.9% Female, 7.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.8% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 11.1% Asian, 16.5% White, 62.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 4.8% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 11.2% Asian, 14.4% White, 64.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |