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The differences between associate software engineers and software design 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 software design engineer. Additionally, a software design engineer has an average salary of $98,799, 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 software design engineer are software development, python, and software design.
| Associate Software Engineer | Software Design Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $78,981 | $98,799 |
| Hourly rate | $37.97 | $47.50 |
| Growth rate | 21% | 21% |
| Number of jobs | 298,481 | 315,080 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 80% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| 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 software design engineer or SDE is part of a software development enterprise. Software design engineers determine the problems or issues and figure out how to establish programs to ease and automate the situations. They fabricate style sheets for the management of the individual aspects of huge engineering projects. It is their job to develop strategies for hardware architecture and software engineering. They also handle and mentor engineering interns for professional guidance.
Associate software engineers and software design engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Associate Software Engineer | Software Design Engineer | |
| Average salary | $78,981 | $98,799 |
| Salary range | Between $60,000 And $102,000 | Between $74,000 And $130,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | California |
| Best paying company | JPMorgan Chase & Co. | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Technology |
There are a few differences between an associate software engineer and a software design engineer in terms of educational background:
| Associate Software Engineer | Software Design Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 80% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | Harvard University |
Here are the differences between associate software engineers' and software design engineers' demographics:
| Associate Software Engineer | Software Design Engineer | |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 67.3% Female, 32.7% | Male, 81.6% Female, 18.4% |
| 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, 4.5% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 8.2% Asian, 29.9% White, 52.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |