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The differences between applications & systems engineers and principal systems engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become an applications & systems engineer, becoming a principal systems engineer takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a principal systems engineer has an average salary of $133,208, which is higher than the $97,919 average annual salary of an applications & systems engineer.
The top three skills for an applications & systems engineer include application development, C++ and java. The most important skills for a principal systems engineer are systems engineering, DOD, and C++.
| Applications & Systems Engineer | Principal Systems Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $97,919 | $133,208 |
| Hourly rate | $47.08 | $64.04 |
| Growth rate | 21% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 367,806 | 146,444 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Average age | 39 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 2 |
An applications and systems engineer is an information technology (IT) expert whose responsibilities revolve around designing and developing applications and systems to optimize company operations. They typically perform internal assessments to identify company needs, evaluate existing systems and applications to determine areas needing improvements, establish testing structures, and providing solutions for different IT issues. Furthermore, as an application and systems engineer, it is essential to perform regular maintenance checks on IT systems and networks, ensuring efficiency and providing corrective measures as needed.
A Principal Systems Engineer supervises a group of other engineers in technical projects. They develop and lead systems engineering projects and efforts.
Applications & systems engineers and principal systems engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Applications & Systems Engineer | Principal Systems Engineer | |
| Average salary | $97,919 | $133,208 |
| Salary range | Between $74,000 And $129,000 | Between $97,000 And $181,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | eBay | |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Telecommunication |
There are a few differences between an applications & systems engineer and a principal systems engineer in terms of educational background:
| Applications & Systems Engineer | Principal Systems Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | California State University - Long Beach | Northeastern University |
Here are the differences between applications & systems engineers' and principal systems engineers' demographics:
| Applications & Systems Engineer | Principal Systems Engineer | |
| Average age | 39 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 85.9% Female, 14.1% | Male, 89.7% Female, 10.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.7% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 8.4% Asian, 29.7% White, 52.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 8.3% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 12.1% Asian, 12.8% White, 61.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 9% |