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The differences between telecom engineers and special project 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 special project engineer. Additionally, a telecom engineer has an average salary of $81,384, which is higher than the $70,934 average annual salary of a special project engineer.
The top three skills for a telecom engineer include voip, telephony and telecommunication. The most important skills for a special project engineer are DOD, design changes, and engineering support.
| Telecom Engineer | Special Project Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $81,384 | $70,934 |
| Hourly rate | $39.13 | $34.10 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 33,530 | 90,999 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 62% |
| Average age | 45 | 41 |
| 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 special project engineer is in-charged in the preparation, scheduling, coordination, and monitoring of engineering projects. He/She or she should be able to establish good relationships with prospective clients to gain information on engineering requirements and delegate tasks to staff. The core skills that a special project engineer should possess include good creative ability and excellent mechanical and listening skills. Other requirements to qualify for the position include a college degree in business or mechanical engineering.
Telecom engineers and special project engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Telecom Engineer | Special Project Engineer | |
| Average salary | $81,384 | $70,934 |
| Salary range | Between $63,000 And $104,000 | Between $52,000 And $95,000 |
| Highest paying City | Hayward, CA | Newark, CA |
| Highest paying state | Rhode Island | Rhode Island |
| Best paying company | PayPal | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Telecommunication | Hospitality |
There are a few differences between a telecom engineer and a special project engineer in terms of educational background:
| Telecom Engineer | Special Project Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 62% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Business |
| Most common college | Northeastern University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between telecom engineers' and special project engineers' demographics:
| Telecom Engineer | Special Project Engineer | |
| Average age | 45 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 86.2% Female, 13.8% | Male, 65.9% Female, 34.1% |
| 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, 3.4% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.4% Asian, 10.3% White, 72.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 5% |