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The differences between substations electrical engineers and outside plant 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 outside plant engineer. Additionally, a substations electrical engineer has an average salary of $88,149, which is higher than the $85,603 average annual salary of an outside plant engineer.
The top three skills for a substations electrical engineer include IEEE, ac and dc. The most important skills for an outside plant engineer are CAD, outside plant, and OSP.
| Substations Electrical Engineer | Outside Plant Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $88,149 | $85,603 |
| Hourly rate | $42.38 | $41.16 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 44,451 | 34,742 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| 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.
The job of an outside plant engineer revolves around design, constructing, and maintaining plant infrastructure, engineering, and conducting route analysis of aerial and underground fiber-optic installations. Typical day-to-day duties include assisting clients in resolving issues when they arise, developing engineering plans, schedules, and costs relevant to the projects, and providing guidance on telecommunication issues. As an outside plant engineer, you need to ensure the proper installation of the infrastructure and the availability of fiber cable storage, access, and termination equipment.
Substations electrical engineers and outside plant engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Substations Electrical Engineer | Outside Plant Engineer | |
| Average salary | $88,149 | $85,603 |
| Salary range | Between $68,000 And $112,000 | Between $62,000 And $117,000 |
| Highest paying City | Albuquerque, NM | - |
| Highest paying state | Washington | - |
| Best paying company | Kiewit | - |
| Best paying industry | Construction | - |
There are a few differences between a substations electrical engineer and an outside plant engineer in terms of educational background:
| Substations Electrical Engineer | Outside Plant Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Michigan Technological University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between substations electrical engineers' and outside plant engineers' demographics:
| Substations Electrical Engineer | Outside Plant Engineer | |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 88.9% Female, 11.1% | Male, 85.5% Female, 14.5% |
| 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, 11.1% Asian, 14.5% White, 64.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |