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The differences between firmware engineers and systems engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a firmware engineer and a systems engineer. Additionally, a firmware engineer has an average salary of $97,183, which is higher than the $82,834 average annual salary of a systems engineer.
The top three skills for a firmware engineer include python, C and C++. The most important skills for a systems engineer are python, linux, and C++.
| Firmware Engineer | Systems Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $97,183 | $82,834 |
| Hourly rate | $46.72 | $39.82 |
| Growth rate | 21% | 21% |
| Number of jobs | 99,014 | 145,936 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
The job of firmware engineers focuses on the hardware from which the software runs. They play an important role in supporting the life cycle of products from its development to implementation. Their duties typically include testing the product properly and troubleshooting technical issues in collaboration with other engineering personnel, evaluating the performance of the system and ensuring that it adheres to the company's standards, and analyzing the design and needs of a system. Firmware engineers are also responsible for improvising the software as requested by clients.
Systems engineers are responsible for creating and overseeing systems related to the overall operations of the organization. They are in charge of assessing the organization's needs in terms of systems and creating plans to address these needs. These systems are usually related to the production or manufacturing of company products. Systems engineers create end-to-end processes that ensure efficiency and effectiveness. They make sure that the processes they put in place adhere to safety and security policies and guidelines. They also do routine checks and continuously find ways to further improve production and other systems.
Firmware engineers and systems engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Firmware Engineer | Systems Engineer | |
| Average salary | $97,183 | $82,834 |
| Salary range | Between $73,000 And $129,000 | Between $62,000 And $109,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | The Citadel |
| Best paying industry | Automotive | Automotive |
There are a few differences between a firmware engineer and a systems engineer in terms of educational background:
| Firmware Engineer | Systems Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Harvard University | California State University - Long Beach |
Here are the differences between firmware engineers' and systems engineers' demographics:
| Firmware Engineer | Systems Engineer | |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 88.4% Female, 11.6% | Male, 86.1% Female, 13.9% |
| 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, 4.7% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 8.4% Asian, 29.7% White, 52.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |