Computer architect vs software engineer

The differences between computer architects and 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 a computer architect and a software engineer. Additionally, a software engineer has an average salary of $100,260, which is higher than the $93,616 average annual salary of a computer architect.

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

Computer architect vs software engineer overview

	Computer Architect	Software Engineer
Yearly salary	$93,616	$100,260
Hourly rate	$45.01	$48.20
Growth rate	3%	21%
Number of jobs	86,717	339,938
Job satisfaction	-	3.5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 71%	Bachelor's Degree, 73%
Average age	45	39
Years of experience	4	4

Computer architect vs software engineer salary

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

	Computer Architect	Software Engineer
Average salary	$93,616	$100,260
Salary range	Between $62,000 And $140,000	Between $73,000 And $136,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	San Bruno, CA
Highest paying state	California	California
Best paying company	Meta	The Citadel
Best paying industry	Technology	Start-up

Differences between computer architect and software engineer education

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

	Computer Architect	Software Engineer
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 71%	Bachelor's Degree, 73%
Most common major	Computer Science	Computer Science
Most common college	University of Southern California	Harvard University

Computer architect vs software engineer demographics

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

	Computer Architect	Software Engineer
Average age	45	39
Gender ratio	Male, 87.2% Female, 12.8%	Male, 78.0% Female, 22.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 2.3% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 12.0% Asian, 16.3% White, 65.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%	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	15%	8%

Differences between computer architect and software engineer duties and responsibilities

Computer architect example responsibilities.

Lead creation of client virtualization strategy and roadmap.
Lead ITIL processes, contract negotiations, architecture, vendor management, and project management.
Manage the desktop computing environment that includes hardware and software, defining standards, ensuring security and support.
Manage technical architects for development and support of existing and new terminal platforms to support Walmart mobile and batch application infrastructure.
Function successfully in both Java and .Net programming.
Consult for university academic groups and research groups HPC needs.

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.

Computer architect vs software engineer skills

Common computer architect skills

Cloud, 39%
C++, 8%
Cloud Computing, 8%
AWS, 6%
Azure, 4%
Java, 4%

Common software engineer skills

Java, 15%
Python, 9%
Software Development, 6%
Database, 3%
GIT, 3%
Object Oriented Programming, 3%