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The differences between firmware test engineers and automation test engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a firmware test engineer and an automation test engineer. Additionally, an automation test engineer has an average salary of $85,353, which is higher than the $84,319 average annual salary of a firmware test engineer.
The top three skills for a firmware test engineer include python, firmware and test automation. The most important skills for an automation test engineer are java, python, and jenkins.
| Firmware Test Engineer | Automation Test Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $84,319 | $85,353 |
| Hourly rate | $40.54 | $41.04 |
| Growth rate | 5% | - |
| Number of jobs | 25,699 | 125,816 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
Firmware engineers are technical experts who work on programming various devices. They have extensive knowledge of coding and software development. Firmware engineers must understand several programming languages, with the specifics depending on their industry. Designing code and testing proper functionality are additional job responsibilities.
Automation Test Engineers are licensed professionals who work with clients on various IT or engineering-related activities. They are part of the growing automation industry. They create software solutions related to the automation of processes, and they work with clients to identify automation opportunities based on the existing software, hardware, and other processes. They have to understand their clients' needs and find the appropriate software solutions based on the clients' needs. Automation test engineers help design these software solutions. The majority of their work is related to testing these software solutions. They conduct quality checks to ensure that the software solution is working properly. They also check whether the software solution truly addresses the clients' needs.
Firmware test engineers and automation test engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Firmware Test Engineer | Automation Test Engineer | |
| Average salary | $84,319 | $85,353 |
| Salary range | Between $62,000 And $114,000 | Between $64,000 And $112,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Mateo, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a firmware test engineer and an automation test engineer in terms of educational background:
| Firmware Test Engineer | Automation Test Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | California State University - Long Beach |
Here are the differences between firmware test engineers' and automation test engineers' demographics:
| Firmware Test Engineer | Automation Test Engineer | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 89.2% Female, 10.8% | Male, 73.8% Female, 26.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 8.8% Asian, 12.0% White, 67.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 8.8% Asian, 12.0% White, 67.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |