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The differences between firmware engineers and contract 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 engineer, becoming a contract software engineer takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a contract software engineer has an average salary of $102,925, which is higher than the $97,183 average annual salary of a firmware engineer.
The top three skills for a firmware engineer include python, C and C++. The most important skills for a contract software engineer are java, software development, and database.
| Firmware Engineer | Contract Software Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $97,183 | $102,925 |
| Hourly rate | $46.72 | $49.48 |
| Growth rate | 21% | 21% |
| Number of jobs | 99,014 | 322,978 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 4 |
Firmware engineers and contract software engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Firmware Engineer | Contract Software Engineer | |
| Average salary | $97,183 | $102,925 |
| Salary range | Between $73,000 And $129,000 | Between $76,000 And $138,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | - |
| Highest paying state | Washington | - |
| Best paying company | Meta | - |
| Best paying industry | Automotive | - |
There are a few differences between a firmware engineer and a contract software engineer in terms of educational background:
| Firmware Engineer | Contract Software Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Harvard University | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between firmware engineers' and contract software engineers' demographics:
| Firmware Engineer | Contract Software Engineer | |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 88.4% Female, 11.6% | Male, 89.8% Female, 10.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.6% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 8.4% Asian, 31.6% White, 50.4% 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, 52.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |