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The differences between firmware test engineers and quality assurance leads 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 a quality assurance lead. Additionally, a quality assurance lead has an average salary of $94,758, 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 a quality assurance lead are QA, test cases, and test plan.
| Firmware Test Engineer | Quality Assurance Lead | |
| Yearly salary | $84,319 | $94,758 |
| Hourly rate | $40.54 | $45.56 |
| Growth rate | 5% | - |
| Number of jobs | 25,699 | 82,242 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| 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.
A quality assurance lead, also known as QA Lead, is responsible for conducting necessary quality tests and analyses for software program and development. As a quality assurance lead, they must take the lead in ensuring quality during development by proactively performing critical evaluations, troubleshooting, and providing precise documentation. It is also essential to identify issues and resolve them as soon as possible. Furthermore, a quality assurance lead must maintain an active line of communication and coordination as most of the work will be in a team setting.
Firmware test engineers and quality assurance leads have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Firmware Test Engineer | Quality Assurance Lead | |
| Average salary | $84,319 | $94,758 |
| Salary range | Between $62,000 And $114,000 | Between $72,000 And $123,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Retail |
There are a few differences between a firmware test engineer and a quality assurance lead in terms of educational background:
| Firmware Test Engineer | Quality Assurance Lead | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between firmware test engineers' and quality assurance leads' demographics:
| Firmware Test Engineer | Quality Assurance Lead | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 89.2% Female, 10.8% | Male, 63.0% Female, 37.0% |
| 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% |