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The differences between associate software engineers and principal 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 associate software engineer and a principal software engineer. Additionally, a principal software engineer has an average salary of $134,230, which is higher than the $78,981 average annual salary of an associate software engineer.
The top three skills for an associate software engineer include java, python and C++. The most important skills for a principal software engineer are java, python, and software development.
| Associate Software Engineer | Principal Software Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $78,981 | $134,230 |
| Hourly rate | $37.97 | $64.53 |
| Growth rate | 21% | 21% |
| Number of jobs | 298,481 | 345,893 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 80% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
An associate software engineer is an individual who is responsible for improving existing software or designing new application software. Working under the supervision of a senior software engineer and together with a team of engineering professionals, associate software engineers must be able to code software and ensure that it can run with different types of technology. They must have the technical knowledge and expertise of commanding programming languages such as JAVA, HTML, and CSS. Associate software engineers are also required to assist the QA team in testing the software before it is released to the customers.
A Principal Software Engineer is responsible for the technical aspects of an organization's projects. They diagnose, document, and troubleshoot systems to resolve problems identified through testing, as well as implement strategies to improve integration and efficiency.
Associate software engineers and principal software engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Associate Software Engineer | Principal Software Engineer | |
| Average salary | $78,981 | $134,230 |
| Salary range | Between $60,000 And $102,000 | Between $98,000 And $182,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | JPMorgan Chase & Co. | |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Retail |
There are a few differences between an associate software engineer and a principal software engineer in terms of educational background:
| Associate Software Engineer | Principal Software Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 80% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | California State University - Long Beach |
Here are the differences between associate software engineers' and principal software engineers' demographics:
| Associate Software Engineer | Principal Software Engineer | |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 67.3% Female, 32.7% | Male, 87.5% Female, 12.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.0% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 7.7% Asian, 39.6% White, 43.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 4.4% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 8.2% Asian, 29.9% White, 52.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |