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The differences between associate testers and software 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 tester and a software tester. Additionally, a software tester has an average salary of $78,580, which is higher than the $74,863 average annual salary of an associate tester.
The top three skills for an associate tester include test results, test data and java. The most important skills for a software tester are test results, regression, and test scripts.
| Associate Tester | Software Tester | |
| Yearly salary | $74,863 | $78,580 |
| Hourly rate | $35.99 | $37.78 |
| Growth rate | - | - |
| Number of jobs | 35,159 | 208,853 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
An associate tester is in charge of performing quality assurance tests on materials, ensuring the quality adheres to the company's standards and regulations. In the information technology industry, it is their duty to develop software test structures, maintain records of all results, gather and analyze data, review documents, troubleshoot issues, and prepare comprehensive reports according to the company's protocols. Furthermore, an associate tester must maintain an active communication line with teams, coordinating for a smooth and efficient workflow.
The responsibility of software testers involves the quality assurance of software development and deployment. Software testers conduct manual and automated tests to make sure that the software is developed for its purpose. They remove the issues and bugs within a product before deployment to users. Their responsibilities include software and systems analysis, risk mitigation, and software-related issue prevention. They should have skills in automation, programming, social networking, logical thinking, and mobile and web technology.
Associate testers and software testers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Associate Tester | Software Tester | |
| Average salary | $74,863 | $78,580 |
| Salary range | Between $54,000 And $102,000 | Between $61,000 And $100,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Sunnyvale, CA |
| Highest paying state | New York | New Hampshire |
| Best paying company | Morgan Stanley | Nordstrom |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between an associate tester and a software tester in terms of educational background:
| Associate Tester | Software Tester | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between associate testers' and software testers' demographics:
| Associate Tester | Software Tester | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 67.4% Female, 32.6% | Male, 62.1% Female, 37.9% |
| 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% |