Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between firmware developers and 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 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 $87,481 average annual salary of a firmware developer.
The top three skills for a firmware developer include python, java and software development. The most important skills for a software engineer are java, python, and software development.
| Firmware Developer | Software Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $87,481 | $100,260 |
| Hourly rate | $42.06 | $48.20 |
| Growth rate | 21% | 21% |
| Number of jobs | 78,552 | 339,938 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 3.5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| 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.
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.
Firmware developers and software engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Firmware Developer | Software Engineer | |
| Average salary | $87,481 | $100,260 |
| Salary range | Between $65,000 And $117,000 | Between $73,000 And $136,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Bruno, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Parsons | The Citadel |
| Best paying industry | Internet | Start-up |
There are a few differences between a firmware developer and a software engineer in terms of educational background:
| Firmware Developer | Software Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Harvard University | Harvard University |
Here are the differences between firmware developers' and software engineers' demographics:
| Firmware Developer | Software Engineer | |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 93.5% Female, 6.5% | Male, 78.0% Female, 22.0% |
| 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, 4.4% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 8.1% Asian, 34.0% White, 48.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |