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The differences between biomedical engineers and software engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a biomedical engineer, becoming a software engineer takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a software engineer has an average salary of $100,260, which is higher than the $79,436 average annual salary of a biomedical engineer.
The top three skills for a biomedical engineer include patients, medical devices and biomedical equipment. The most important skills for a software engineer are java, python, and software development.
| Biomedical Engineer | Software Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $79,436 | $100,260 |
| Hourly rate | $38.19 | $48.20 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 21% |
| Number of jobs | 33,662 | 339,938 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | 3.5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Average age | 38 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 4 |
As a biomedical engineer, it's their main job responsibility to innovate advances that can improve human health care in all aspects. They analyze and create solutions to certain problems with biology and medicine to improve the effectiveness and quality of patient care. They also do complex tasks that include installing, repairing, maintaining, or providing technical support for biomedical equipment. Moreover, checking safety evaluation, efficiency, and effectiveness of biomedical equipment is also part of their job responsibilities.
A software engineer is a computer science professional who is responsible for the development of information systems, designing and building computer systems software and applications software. They often prefer to call themselves as a software developer or computer programmer. They have substantial knowledge of programming languages, software development, and computer operating systems, and other technologies. They use these to turn a plan into a final output. They can create a design, test, and develop software based on the needs of their clients.
Biomedical engineers and software engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Biomedical Engineer | Software Engineer | |
| Average salary | $79,436 | $100,260 |
| Salary range | Between $57,000 And $108,000 | Between $73,000 And $136,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Bruno, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Cornerstone Research | The Citadel |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Start-up |
There are a few differences between a biomedical engineer and a software engineer in terms of educational background:
| Biomedical Engineer | Software Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Most common major | Biomedical Engineering | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Harvard University |
Here are the differences between biomedical engineers' and software engineers' demographics:
| Biomedical Engineer | Software Engineer | |
| Average age | 38 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 75.0% Female, 25.0% | Male, 78.0% Female, 22.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 5.6% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 10.3% Asian, 20.1% White, 58.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% | Black or African American, 4.4% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 8.1% Asian, 34.0% White, 48.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 13% | 8% |