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The differences between embedded engineers and associate 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 an embedded engineer, becoming an associate software engineer takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, an embedded engineer has an average salary of $95,419, which is higher than the $78,981 average annual salary of an associate software engineer.
The top three skills for an embedded engineer include python, C and C++. The most important skills for an associate software engineer are java, python, and C++.
| Embedded Engineer | Associate Software Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $95,419 | $78,981 |
| Hourly rate | $45.87 | $37.97 |
| Growth rate | 21% | 21% |
| Number of jobs | 24,338 | 298,481 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Bachelor's Degree, 80% |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 4 |
Embedded engineers are skilled professionals who are responsible for conducting all activities that are related to embedded systems. These engineers are required to design and configure hardware components of embedded systems such as processor, controller, memory, and serial communication port. They must participate in reviewing the requirements, design, and source code of embedded systems as well as identify opportunities for software process and development cycle time improvements. Embedded engineers must troubleshoot malfunctioning embedded systems while providing written updates to managers and their clients.
An associate software engineer is an individual who is responsible for improving existing software or designing new application software. Working under the supervision of a senior software engineer and together with a team of engineering professionals, associate software engineers must be able to code software and ensure that it can run with different types of technology. They must have the technical knowledge and expertise of commanding programming languages such as JAVA, HTML, and CSS. Associate software engineers are also required to assist the QA team in testing the software before it is released to the customers.
Embedded engineers and associate software engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Embedded Engineer | Associate Software Engineer | |
| Average salary | $95,419 | $78,981 |
| Salary range | Between $72,000 And $125,000 | Between $60,000 And $102,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Apple | JPMorgan Chase & Co. |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Finance |
There are a few differences between an embedded engineer and an associate software engineer in terms of educational background:
| Embedded Engineer | Associate Software Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Bachelor's Degree, 80% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Northeastern University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between embedded engineers' and associate software engineers' demographics:
| Embedded Engineer | Associate Software Engineer | |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 86.3% Female, 13.7% | Male, 67.3% Female, 32.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.4% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 8.1% Asian, 31.7% White, 51.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 4.0% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 7.7% Asian, 39.6% White, 43.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |