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The differences between telecom engineers and cost 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 telecom engineer and a cost engineer. Additionally, a cost engineer has an average salary of $87,901, which is higher than the $81,384 average annual salary of a telecom engineer.
The top three skills for a telecom engineer include voip, telephony and telecommunication. The most important skills for a cost engineer are project management, cost analysis, and construction management.
| Telecom Engineer | Cost Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $81,384 | $87,901 |
| Hourly rate | $39.13 | $42.26 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 33,530 | 65,278 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
Telecom engineers are engineering experts who design and install telecommunication equipment to ensure the transmission of high-quality data over wired or wireless communication. Due to their in-depth understanding of emerging technologies, these engineers are required to create solution designs such as drawings and design documents as well as offer guidance to reduce complexity and costs. They must identify and resolve any issues related to fiber optics and copper cables while setting up system monitoring to reduce equipment failure and incident response time. Telecom engineers are also required to operate and improve the telephony systems.
A cost engineer is responsible for projecting cost and expenses reports for the production process, identify and mitigate risks, and develop strategic techniques to reduce the excessive financial loss for project buildings. Cost engineers conduct data and statistical analysis to measure time deliverables and quality checks to ensure profitability and adherence to business objectives. They research and negotiate materials from trusted suppliers and vendors with high-quality products that would meet construction designs and client specifications.
Telecom engineers and cost engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Telecom Engineer | Cost Engineer | |
| Average salary | $81,384 | $87,901 |
| Salary range | Between $63,000 And $104,000 | Between $64,000 And $120,000 |
| Highest paying City | Hayward, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Rhode Island | Rhode Island |
| Best paying company | PayPal | BP America Inc |
| Best paying industry | Telecommunication | Energy |
There are a few differences between a telecom engineer and a cost engineer in terms of educational background:
| Telecom Engineer | Cost Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Business |
| Most common college | Northeastern University | Georgia Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between telecom engineers' and cost engineers' demographics:
| Telecom Engineer | Cost Engineer | |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 86.2% Female, 13.8% | Male, 74.1% Female, 25.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.8% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 11.3% Asian, 14.6% White, 64.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 4.9% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 11.3% Asian, 14.4% White, 64.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |