Compare A Chemical Engineer ↔ B Mechanical Engineer
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1 move · -$20,340 a year, Texas medians of each whole occupation, all experience levels
Gates on this route
- Move 1, to Mechanical Engineer: experience: over 1 year, up to and including 2 years (O*NET, most common).
Move 1 Transfer move to the side
Chemical Engineer to Mechanical Engineer -$20,340 Texas medians of each whole occupation, all experience levels
- O*NET lists Mechanical Engineers as a related occupation (Primary-Long); skills and knowledge profile similarity r = 0.87.
- Gates: experience: over 1 year, up to and including 2 years (O*NET, most common).
- Skills to build: Active Listening
Side by side
All Mechanical Engineers: Texas median $112,410, $20,340 less a year than all Chemical Engineers ($132,750), every experience level.
Chemical Engineer: 70% work more than 40 hours a week, about 1.5 times the share for Mechanical Engineer (45%).
This level's pay
A No headline record for this level
B $99,206 a year H-1B filings, n = 157, TX+AZ, 2026
No published schedule lists both jobs, so no level-specific difference is shown.
Occupation-wide pay all experience levels, not this level's pay; Texas median, base pay, $0 to $300k
Gates on the route: experience: over 1 year, up to and including 2 years (O*NET, most common).
Outlook 2024 to 2034 whole occupation
A +8.0% Texas, 160 openings a year
B +18.6% Texas, 1,350 openings a year
Over 40 h a week
Physical load our index from O*NET, 1 to 5; A B; largest differences first
2.0 / 5-0.21.8 / 5
- Protective gear-1.07Protective gear: A 2.3, B 1.23
- Hazardous conditions-1.03Hazardous conditions: A 2.78, B 1.75
- Outdoors, all weather-0.91Outdoors, all weather: A 2.87, B 1.96
- Very hot or cold-0.47Very hot or cold: A 2.3, B 1.83
- Hazardous equipment-0.38Hazardous equipment: A 2.39, B 2.01
Degree
A Most people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher (O*NET: 100%).
B Most people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher (O*NET: 53%).
License
A Texas PE license (TBPELS) is required for the practice of engineering as defined in Occ. Code 1001.003; whether this job needs it depends on the work.
B Texas PE license (TBPELS) is required for the practice of engineering as defined in Occ. Code 1001.003; whether this job needs it depends on the work.
Experience
A Most common related work experience: none (O*NET: 30%).
B Most common related work experience: over 1 year, up to and including 2 years (O*NET: 24%).
Skills O*NET importance, 1 to 5
You likely have: 6
- Critical Thinking
- Reading Comprehension
- Complex Problem Solving
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Mathematics
- Science
To build: 1
- Active Listening +0.63
Make this your goal
Save Chemical Engineer to Mechanical Engineer as your goal. Each step then shows the hours you have logged toward it, your exam practice and your license, with the one thing to do next and the 1 skills to build as a checklist. Free with an account.
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