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The differences between automation testers and quality assurance 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 tester and a quality assurance engineer. Additionally, an automation tester has an average salary of $82,429, which is higher than the $82,215 average annual salary of a quality assurance engineer.
The top three skills for an automation tester include java, jenkins and QA. The most important skills for a quality assurance engineer are java, python, and regression.
| Automation Tester | Quality Assurance Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $82,429 | $82,215 |
| Hourly rate | $39.63 | $39.53 |
| Growth rate | - | - |
| Number of jobs | 47,656 | 243,536 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
An automation tester is responsible for evaluating automated system processes to ensure its stability and efficiency to support business functions and operational development. Automation testers create reports on findings, highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of the procedures, and providing recommendations for process improvement. They also join the technology team on conducting system configuration and improving system infrastructure, resolving network issues, and designing automation tools. An automation tester must have excellent knowledge of the technology industry, as well as network navigation and programming codes, enhancing technical frameworks for optimization.
A Quality Assurance Engineer's role is to oversee the overall production and ensure that the product is cost-efficient and aligns with the company's standards. The responsibility mainly revolves around conducting activities that examine and scrutinize the condition of a product or service to identify issues and come up with possible solutions to resolve the issue or attain stronger customer satisfaction. Furthermore, the Quality Assurance Engineer must also ensure that the product adheres to the government regulations and market guidelines.
Automation testers and quality assurance engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Automation Tester | Quality Assurance Engineer | |
| Average salary | $82,429 | $82,215 |
| Salary range | Between $63,000 And $107,000 | Between $61,000 And $109,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Ramon, CA | San Mateo, CA |
| Highest paying state | Delaware | California |
| Best paying company | Bloomberg | The Citadel |
| Best paying industry | Insurance | Technology |
There are a few differences between an automation tester and a quality assurance engineer in terms of educational background:
| Automation Tester | Quality Assurance Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between automation testers' and quality assurance engineers' demographics:
| Automation Tester | Quality Assurance Engineer | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 63.6% Female, 36.4% | Male, 69.5% Female, 30.5% |
| 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% |