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The differences between applications & systems 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 applications & systems engineer and a software engineer. Additionally, a software engineer has an average salary of $100,260, 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 software engineer are java, python, and software development.
| Applications & Systems Engineer | Software Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $97,919 | $100,260 |
| Hourly rate | $47.08 | $48.20 |
| Growth rate | 21% | 21% |
| Number of jobs | 367,806 | 339,938 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 3.5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
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 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.
Applications & systems engineers and software engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Applications & Systems Engineer | Software Engineer | |
| Average salary | $97,919 | $100,260 |
| Salary range | Between $74,000 And $129,000 | Between $73,000 And $136,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Bruno, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | The Citadel | |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Start-up |
There are a few differences between an applications & systems engineer and a software engineer in terms of educational background:
| Applications & Systems Engineer | Software Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Computer Science |
| Most common college | California State University - Long Beach | Harvard University |
Here are the differences between applications & systems engineers' and software engineers' demographics:
| Applications & Systems Engineer | Software Engineer | |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 85.9% Female, 14.1% | Male, 78.0% Female, 22.0% |
| 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, 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% |