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Contract software developer vs lead developer

The differences between contract software developers and lead developers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a contract software developer and a lead developer. Additionally, a lead developer has an average salary of $116,340, which is higher than the $97,254 average annual salary of a contract software developer.

The top three skills for a contract software developer include web application, database and sql server. The most important skills for a lead developer are java, javascript, and architecture.

Contract software developer vs lead developer overview

Contract Software DeveloperLead Developer
Yearly salary$97,254$116,340
Hourly rate$46.76$55.93
Growth rate21%21%
Number of jobs303,433274,208
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 72%Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Average age3939
Years of experience44

Contract software developer vs lead developer salary

Contract software developers and lead developers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Contract Software DeveloperLead Developer
Average salary$97,254$116,340
Salary rangeBetween $72,000 And $131,000Between $83,000 And $161,000
Highest paying City-San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state-California
Best paying company-Mayo Clinic
Best paying industry-Retail

Differences between contract software developer and lead developer education

There are a few differences between a contract software developer and a lead developer in terms of educational background:

Contract Software DeveloperLead Developer
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 72%Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Most common majorComputer ScienceComputer Science
Most common collegeMassachusetts Institute of TechnologyMassachusetts Institute of Technology

Contract software developer vs lead developer demographics

Here are the differences between contract software developers' and lead developers' demographics:

Contract Software DeveloperLead Developer
Average age3939
Gender ratioMale, 85.9% Female, 14.1%Male, 76.4% Female, 23.6%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 4.3% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 8.1% Asian, 30.0% White, 52.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%Black or African American, 4.5% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 8.2% Asian, 29.9% White, 52.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage8%8%

Differences between contract software developer and lead developer duties and responsibilities

Contract software developer example responsibilities.

  • Design simple object-base framework for managing Unix shell scripts and configuration files.
  • Implement a centralize configuration system for managing application settings, consisting of a desktop application with a WCF backend.
  • Design, build and install linux media servers.
  • Design the system architecture, API layer, device drivers.
  • Replace older PHP internal portal system with J2EE/MVC base application using JSP and Servlets.
  • Develop and maintain specialized company windows programs to work with a system call Avantis.
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Lead developer example responsibilities.

  • Develop UNIX shell scripts to automate the process of running jobs/batches for scheduling and process the feeds.
  • Consult on the database schema, create business environments, write stored procedures in PL/SQL, authore reports and manage security.
  • Configure and manage JGroup multicasting communication for apache tomcat web servers.
  • Develop an UI tool for inbound and outbound file monitoring tool using HTML, CSS, JavaScript etc.
  • Used HTML5 create forms and tables to display client's personal information which is fetched from back-end by using AJAX.
  • Object orient design and implementation with agile application development using scrum.
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Contract software developer vs lead developer skills

Common contract software developer skills
  • Web Application, 8%
  • Database, 5%
  • SQL Server, 5%
  • Java, 5%
  • JavaScript, 4%
  • PL/SQL, 4%
Common lead developer skills
  • Java, 10%
  • JavaScript, 5%
  • Architecture, 5%
  • C++, 4%
  • Web Application, 4%
  • GIT, 4%

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