It is not known exactly when the first use of the term "Project Engineer", a word combining the roles of engineer and project manager, occurred, but there are some indications that it was towards the back-end of the Industrial Revolution in which professional project engineers had been important, even if they did not use the term. Generally project engineers came from technical backgrounds, but it was the project management skills rather than the engineering skills that set them apart, commanding higher pay and a high level of prestige in society.