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The differences between associate test engineers and quality assurance testers 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 test engineer and a quality assurance tester. Additionally, a quality assurance tester has an average salary of $74,140, which is higher than the $73,445 average annual salary of an associate test engineer.
The top three skills for an associate test engineer include test results, C++ and test cases. The most important skills for a quality assurance tester are manual test cases, regression, and test scripts.
| Associate Test Engineer | Quality Assurance Tester | |
| Yearly salary | $73,445 | $74,140 |
| Hourly rate | $35.31 | $35.64 |
| Growth rate | - | - |
| Number of jobs | 39,846 | 82,396 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
In the information technology industry, an Associate Test Engineer specializes in developing and implementing test structures to assess software and systems, ensuring they adhere to project requirements and quality standards. They work under the supervision and directives of a senior test engineer. Their responsibilities often include: understanding the clients' needs and preferences, analyzing systems. reviewing documents. troubleshooting issues. identifying and fixing bugs, producing detailed reports and summaries.
Moreover, an Associate Engineer usually works in a team setting, which requires an active communication line for optimal services.
A quality assurance tester, also known as QA tester, has different responsibilities depending on the line of work or industry involved. In a computer development setting, they are in charge of working and coordinating with technical engineers. They have to conduct regular tests for new software and programs, identify inconsistencies, and find areas for improvement. Furthermore, a quality assurance tester must produce reports from the tests, which can be the basis of progress for further developments.
Associate test engineers and quality assurance testers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Associate Test Engineer | Quality Assurance Tester | |
| Average salary | $73,445 | $74,140 |
| Salary range | Between $59,000 And $91,000 | Between $55,000 And $99,000 |
| Highest paying City | Palo Alto, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Maryland |
| Best paying company | Apple | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Finance |
There are a few differences between an associate test engineer and a quality assurance tester in terms of educational background:
| Associate Test Engineer | Quality Assurance Tester | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Northeastern University | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between associate test engineers' and quality assurance testers' demographics:
| Associate Test Engineer | Quality Assurance Tester | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 90.9% Female, 9.1% | Male, 61.2% Female, 38.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 8.8% Asian, 12.0% White, 67.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 8.8% Asian, 12.0% White, 67.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |