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The differences between firmware test engineers and quality assurance testers 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 tester. Additionally, a firmware test engineer has an average salary of $84,319, which is higher than the $74,140 average annual salary of a quality assurance tester.
The top three skills for a firmware test engineer include python, firmware and test automation. The most important skills for a quality assurance tester are manual test cases, regression, and test scripts.
| Firmware Test Engineer | Quality Assurance Tester | |
| Yearly salary | $84,319 | $74,140 |
| Hourly rate | $40.54 | $35.64 |
| Growth rate | 5% | - |
| Number of jobs | 25,699 | 82,396 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| 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 tester, also known as QA tester, has different responsibilities depending on the line of work or industry involved. In a computer development setting, they are in charge of working and coordinating with technical engineers. They have to conduct regular tests for new software and programs, identify inconsistencies, and find areas for improvement. Furthermore, a quality assurance tester must produce reports from the tests, which can be the basis of progress for further developments.
Firmware test engineers and quality assurance testers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Firmware Test Engineer | Quality Assurance Tester | |
| Average salary | $84,319 | $74,140 |
| Salary range | Between $62,000 And $114,000 | Between $55,000 And $99,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Maryland |
| Best paying company | Meta | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Finance |
There are a few differences between a firmware test engineer and a quality assurance tester in terms of educational background:
| Firmware Test Engineer | Quality Assurance Tester | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| 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 testers' demographics:
| Firmware Test Engineer | Quality Assurance Tester | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 89.2% Female, 10.8% | Male, 61.2% Female, 38.8% |
| 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% |