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The differences between sustaining engineers and contracting engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a sustaining engineer, becoming a contracting engineer takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a contracting engineer has an average salary of $122,620, which is higher than the $88,351 average annual salary of a sustaining engineer.
The top three skills for a sustaining engineer include troubleshoot, lean six sigma and lean manufacturing. The most important skills for a contracting engineer are C++, C #, and R.
| Sustaining Engineer | Contracting Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $88,351 | $122,620 |
| Hourly rate | $42.48 | $58.95 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 57,402 | 115,631 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Average age | 42 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 6 |
A sustaining engineer is responsible for monitoring industrial operations, including the efficiency of processes and the performance of tools and equipment, ensuring high-quality deliverables for business objectives. Sustaining engineers evaluate the safety and security of the operations, strategizing techniques to manage potential hazards that may cause delays in the production. They also work with the management to identify opportunities to maximize productivity and maintain cost-reduction procedures, especially on materials and equipment. A sustaining engineer handles operational issues, as well as assessing incident reports for immediate resolution.
A contracting engineer specializes in overseeing engineering projects, focusing on the legalities of contracts between clients and engineers to ensure fairness in all parties involved. Most of their duties are administrative, such as gathering and analyzing data, conducting research and analyses, setting budgets and guidelines, drafting commercial tenders and other paperwork, maintaining records, and executing contracts. They are also responsible for handling contract issues and concerns, solving them promptly and efficiently. Additionally, a contracting engineer maintains an open communication line with all parties to ensure a smooth workflow.
Sustaining engineers and contracting engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Sustaining Engineer | Contracting Engineer | |
| Average salary | $88,351 | $122,620 |
| Salary range | Between $68,000 And $114,000 | Between $86,000 And $173,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | Washington | New York |
| Best paying company | Meta | EquiLend |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Professional |
There are a few differences between a sustaining engineer and a contracting engineer in terms of educational background:
| Sustaining Engineer | Contracting Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between sustaining engineers' and contracting engineers' demographics:
| Sustaining Engineer | Contracting Engineer | |
| Average age | 42 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 87.5% Female, 12.5% | Male, 88.2% Female, 11.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.3% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 10.6% Asian, 15.1% White, 65.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 3.5% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.6% Asian, 11.8% White, 70.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 5% |