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The differences between technical design engineers and mechanical designers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a technical design engineer and a mechanical designer. Additionally, a technical design engineer has an average salary of $75,599, which is higher than the $62,541 average annual salary of a mechanical designer.
The top three skills for a technical design engineer include design drawings, windows and infrastructure. The most important skills for a mechanical designer are mechanical design, revit, and auto cad.
| Technical Design Engineer | Mechanical Designer | |
| Yearly salary | $75,599 | $62,541 |
| Hourly rate | $36.35 | $30.07 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 173,548 | 65,748 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 48% | Associate Degree, 51% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
A technical design engineer specializes in designing a company's products and systems, ensuring quality and efficiency. Among their responsibilities include performing extensive research and analysis, understanding and identifying the needs of every project, developing prototypes and test structures, and coordinating with experts. There are also instances when they must conduct maintenance checks on current systems, executing repairs when necessary. Furthermore, as a technical design engineer, it is essential to maintain an active communication line with staff, coordinating them while enforcing the company's policies and regulations.
A mechanical designer is responsible for designing mechanical equipment and devices, together with the engineers and other technology professionals. Mechanical designers create layouts following the clients' specifications, perform structural analysis, and analyze dimensions to ensure quality. They also inspect overall equipment performance and recommend adjustments as needed to improve its quality and boost optimization. Mechanical designers assist with installation and system upgrades, respond with the clients' inquiries and concerns, and escalate it to the appropriate personnel for resolution. A mechanical designer must have a strong knowledge of the mechanical and technology industry to build designs according to the highest standards.
Technical design engineers and mechanical designers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Technical Design Engineer | Mechanical Designer | |
| Average salary | $75,599 | $62,541 |
| Salary range | Between $49,000 And $116,000 | Between $46,000 And $83,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | Western Digital | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Energy |
There are a few differences between a technical design engineer and a mechanical designer in terms of educational background:
| Technical Design Engineer | Mechanical Designer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 48% | Associate Degree, 51% |
| Most common major | Drafting And Design | Drafting And Design |
| Most common college | Carnegie Mellon University | Carnegie Mellon University |
Here are the differences between technical design engineers' and mechanical designers' demographics:
| Technical Design Engineer | Mechanical Designer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 83.7% Female, 16.3% | Male, 89.1% Female, 10.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.4% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.3% Asian, 10.3% White, 72.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | Black or African American, 3.4% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.1% Asian, 10.5% White, 72.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |