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Chief software architect vs software engineer

The differences between chief software architects and software engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a chief software architect has an average salary of $149,131, which is higher than the $100,260 average annual salary of a software engineer.

The top three skills for a chief software architect include java, cloud and software development. The most important skills for a software engineer are java, python, and software development.

Chief software architect vs software engineer overview

Chief Software ArchitectSoftware Engineer
Yearly salary$149,131$100,260
Hourly rate$71.70$48.20
Growth rate21%21%
Number of jobs281,099339,938
Job satisfaction-3.5
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 68%Bachelor's Degree, 73%
Average age4439
Years of experience-4

Chief software architect vs software engineer salary

Chief software architects and software engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Chief Software ArchitectSoftware Engineer
Average salary$149,131$100,260
Salary rangeBetween $103,000 And $215,000Between $73,000 And $136,000
Highest paying CitySan Mateo, CASan Bruno, CA
Highest paying stateCaliforniaCalifornia
Best paying companyUdemyThe Citadel
Best paying industryStart-upStart-up

Differences between chief software architect and software engineer education

There are a few differences between a chief software architect and a software engineer in terms of educational background:

Chief Software ArchitectSoftware Engineer
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 68%Bachelor's Degree, 73%
Most common majorComputer ScienceComputer Science
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaHarvard University

Chief software architect vs software engineer demographics

Here are the differences between chief software architects' and software engineers' demographics:

Chief Software ArchitectSoftware Engineer
Average age4439
Gender ratioMale, 95.7% Female, 4.3%Male, 78.0% Female, 22.0%
Race ratioBlack 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, 4.4% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 8.1% Asian, 34.0% White, 48.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage11%8%

Differences between chief software architect and software engineer duties and responsibilities

Chief software architect example responsibilities.

  • Design the API and lead multiple programming teams that write the game software suites.
  • Lead the organization through the change process to shift from self-host architectures to next generation SaaS architectures.
  • Lead large-scale agile and lean software development including engineering, testing, program management, DevOps and live site operations.
  • Cloud stores self update system.
  • Used Ansible for automate deployments of instances on AWS.
  • Cloud service develop based on modify stripped down version of FreeBSD.
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Software engineer example responsibilities.

  • Manage product releases, solve software bugs in a client/server environment, write UNIX shell scripts to manage development environments.
  • Manage responsive UI design, implementing complex, dynamic functionality.
  • Define continuous integration process and configure Jenkins build server to manage it.
  • Develop a python serial communication program to automate test procedures and verify proper operation.
  • Manage website/software/mobile applications by generating full scope requirements base upon PMI / SDLC guidance.
  • Contribute to implementing microservices used to manage entities and maintain a synchronize state between supplier and distributor.
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Chief software architect vs software engineer skills

Common chief software architect skills
  • Java, 14%
  • Cloud, 8%
  • Software Development, 7%
  • Python, 7%
  • Web Services, 4%
  • API, 4%
Common software engineer skills
  • Java, 15%
  • Python, 9%
  • Software Development, 6%
  • Database, 3%
  • GIT, 3%
  • Object Oriented Programming, 3%

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