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The differences between cyber security engineers and software engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a cyber security 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 $99,492 average annual salary of a cyber security engineer.
The top three skills for a cyber security engineer include cyber security, python and linux. The most important skills for a software engineer are java, python, and software development.
| Cyber Security Engineer | Software Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $99,492 | $100,260 |
| Hourly rate | $47.83 | $48.20 |
| Growth rate | 32% | 21% |
| Number of jobs | 73,419 | 339,938 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 3.5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Average age | 42 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 4 |
A cyber security engineer specializes in designing and establishing security measures to protect a company's network and data from hackers or cyber attacks. Their responsibilities primarily revolve around planning and implementing cyber security systems, responding to any problems or concerns, handling security breaches and emergencies, and troubleshooting to identify any issues or vulnerabilities. Moreover, a cyber security engineer may perform clerical tasks such as producing progress reports and documentation, creating instructional materials for systems, managing schedules, and coordinating with department managers, all while adhering to the company's policies and regulations.
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.
Cyber security engineers and software engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Cyber Security Engineer | Software Engineer | |
| Average salary | $99,492 | $100,260 |
| Salary range | Between $75,000 And $131,000 | Between $73,000 And $136,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Bruno, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Dotdash | The Citadel |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Start-up |
There are a few differences between a cyber security engineer and a software engineer in terms of educational background:
| Cyber Security Engineer | Software Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | Harvard University |
Here are the differences between cyber security engineers' and software engineers' demographics:
| Cyber Security Engineer | Software Engineer | |
| Average age | 42 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 83.8% Female, 16.2% | Male, 78.0% Female, 22.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.2% Unknown, 6.1% Hispanic or Latino, 9.0% Asian, 9.6% White, 65.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | 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 | 9% | 8% |