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The differences between aeronautical engineers and software engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both an aeronautical engineer and a software engineer. Additionally, a software engineer has an average salary of $100,260, which is higher than the $80,442 average annual salary of an aeronautical engineer.
The top three skills for an aeronautical engineer include MATLAB, airframe and CAD. The most important skills for a software engineer are java, python, and software development.
| Aeronautical Engineer | Software Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $80,442 | $100,260 |
| Hourly rate | $38.67 | $48.20 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 21% |
| Number of jobs | 28,911 | 339,938 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 3.5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Average age | 44 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
Aeronautical engineers are responsible for designing and testing products for aircraft, spacecraft, missiles, and satellites. Their tasks involve creating and examining blueprints, starting the criteria for a design system, scanning proposals, and correlating teams from design to manufacturing. They work full-time and often require extra hours to work on larger projects, keep track of progress, and make sure that the designs match the mandatory requirements. Individuals who preferred for the job are those who can communicate well, can control their time effectively and perform on diverse projects at once, and who love working as a part of a team towards common goals.
A software engineer is a computer science professional who is responsible for the development of information systems, designing and building computer systems software and applications software. They often prefer to call themselves as a software developer or computer programmer. They have substantial knowledge of programming languages, software development, and computer operating systems, and other technologies. They use these to turn a plan into a final output. They can create a design, test, and develop software based on the needs of their clients.
Aeronautical engineers and software engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Aeronautical Engineer | Software Engineer | |
| Average salary | $80,442 | $100,260 |
| Salary range | Between $59,000 And $109,000 | Between $73,000 And $136,000 |
| Highest paying City | Palo Alto, CA | San Bruno, CA |
| Highest paying state | Rhode Island | California |
| Best paying company | Terrafugia | The Citadel |
| Best paying industry | Transportation | Start-up |
There are a few differences between an aeronautical engineer and a software engineer in terms of educational background:
| Aeronautical Engineer | Software Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Most common major | Aerospace Engineering | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Georgia Institute of Technology | Harvard University |
Here are the differences between aeronautical engineers' and software engineers' demographics:
| Aeronautical Engineer | Software Engineer | |
| Average age | 44 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 89.4% Female, 10.6% | Male, 78.0% Female, 22.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.1% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 10.5% Asian, 15.1% White, 65.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 4.4% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 8.1% Asian, 34.0% White, 48.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |