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The differences between firmware developers 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 a firmware developer, becoming an associate software engineer takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a firmware developer has an average salary of $87,481, which is higher than the $78,981 average annual salary of an associate software engineer.
The top three skills for a firmware developer include python, java and software development. The most important skills for an associate software engineer are java, python, and C++.
| Firmware Developer | Associate Software Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $87,481 | $78,981 |
| Hourly rate | $42.06 | $37.97 |
| Growth rate | 21% | 21% |
| Number of jobs | 78,552 | 298,481 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 80% |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 4 |
A firmware developer mainly develops firmware and designs hardware for online supervision systems and protocol converters. Firmware developers lead workflow resolution and automate the process by routing information to queues for flexible management of exceptions. They create test programs based on technology for maximum processor and firmware processor and memory. It is their job to implement features such as one-touch power windows, audio tones, and wipers. They also create client configuration, statistics, control, and general management functions.
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.
Firmware developers and associate software engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Firmware Developer | Associate Software Engineer | |
| Average salary | $87,481 | $78,981 |
| Salary range | Between $65,000 And $117,000 | Between $60,000 And $102,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Parsons | JPMorgan Chase & Co. |
| Best paying industry | Internet | Finance |
There are a few differences between a firmware developer and an associate software engineer in terms of educational background:
| Firmware Developer | Associate Software Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 80% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Harvard University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between firmware developers' and associate software engineers' demographics:
| Firmware Developer | Associate Software Engineer | |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 93.5% Female, 6.5% | Male, 67.3% Female, 32.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.5% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 8.3% Asian, 29.8% White, 52.3% 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% |