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The differences between automation engineers and associate 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 automation engineer and an associate software engineer. Additionally, an automation engineer has an average salary of $92,597, which is higher than the $78,981 average annual salary of an associate software engineer.
The top three skills for an automation engineer include python, java and PLC. The most important skills for an associate software engineer are java, python, and C++.
| Automation Engineer | Associate Software Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $92,597 | $78,981 |
| Hourly rate | $44.52 | $37.97 |
| Growth rate | - | 21% |
| Number of jobs | 133,941 | 298,481 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 80% |
| Average age | 44 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
An automation engineer takes charge of developing detailed design specifications and any other documents. Automation engineers develop automation software that is based on certain requirements for the involved process. They conform to local standards, international standards, and other process-oriented guidelines. Their duties also include the simulation and testing of automated machinery and processes. The must-have skills for this position include configuration software experience, scripting and coding expertise, certifications, and in-depth knowledge of technology.
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.
Automation engineers and associate software engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Automation Engineer | Associate Software Engineer | |
| Average salary | $92,597 | $78,981 |
| Salary range | Between $70,000 And $121,000 | Between $60,000 And $102,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Meta | JPMorgan Chase & Co. |
| Best paying industry | Retail | Finance |
There are a few differences between an automation engineer and an associate software engineer in terms of educational background:
| Automation Engineer | Associate Software Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 80% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Computer Science |
| Most common college | California State University - Long Beach | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between automation engineers' and associate software engineers' demographics:
| Automation Engineer | Associate Software Engineer | |
| Average age | 44 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 87.0% Female, 13.0% | Male, 67.3% Female, 32.7% |
| 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, 4.0% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 7.7% Asian, 39.6% White, 43.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 8% |