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The differences between application engineers and senior sales engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both an application engineer and a senior sales engineer. Additionally, a senior sales engineer has an average salary of $116,026, which is higher than the $92,921 average annual salary of an application engineer.
The top three skills for an application engineer include technical support, java and C++. The most important skills for a senior sales engineer are pre sales, cloud, and product demonstrations.
| Application Engineer | Senior Sales Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $92,921 | $116,026 |
| Hourly rate | $44.67 | $55.78 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 111,338 | 81,179 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
An application engineer is responsible for creating and re-designing system applications based on clients' specifications and sales demands. Application engineers run diagnostic tests on software programs, identify areas of improvement, install necessary updates, upgrade optimization, revise system codes, and provide technical support for customers' needs. They also generate ideas and locate other business opportunities by analyzing current trends in the technology market that would help build revenues and increase profitability for the company. An application engineer must have a strong command of programming languages, software application processes, and general technology disciplines.
A senior sales engineer is responsible for assisting the marketing and sales team on the technical aspect of operations. Senior sales engineers help the team to structure efficient deliverables and high-quality outputs using their technical expertise for requirements. They identify business opportunities by analyzing sales movements and conducting statistical data management that would generate more revenue resources and attract business partnerships. A senior sales engineer recommends process improvement techniques to meet client requirements and specifications within budget limitations and deadlines.
Application engineers and senior sales engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Application Engineer | Senior Sales Engineer | |
| Average salary | $92,921 | $116,026 |
| Salary range | Between $69,000 And $125,000 | Between $86,000 And $154,000 |
| Highest paying City | Redwood City, CA | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | California | Virginia |
| Best paying company | Morgan Lewis | Tesla |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Professional |
There are a few differences between an application engineer and a senior sales engineer in terms of educational background:
| Application Engineer | Senior Sales Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Business |
| Most common college | Georgia Institute of Technology | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between application engineers' and senior sales engineers' demographics:
| Application Engineer | Senior Sales Engineer | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 87.4% Female, 12.6% | Male, 91.5% Female, 8.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 1.4% Unknown, 6.1% Hispanic or Latino, 6.7% Asian, 11.5% White, 74.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 1.6% Unknown, 6.2% Hispanic or Latino, 7.6% Asian, 7.1% White, 77.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |