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The differences between functional testers and senior quality assurance analysts can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a functional tester and a senior quality assurance analyst. Additionally, a senior quality assurance analyst has an average salary of $93,563, which is higher than the $76,647 average annual salary of a functional tester.
The top three skills for a functional tester include java, test cases and web application. The most important skills for a senior quality assurance analyst are QA, manual test cases, and regression.
| Functional Tester | Senior Quality Assurance Analyst | |
| Yearly salary | $76,647 | $93,563 |
| Hourly rate | $36.85 | $44.98 |
| Growth rate | - | - |
| Number of jobs | 37,146 | 123,719 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A functional tester's main responsibility is to validate the behavior of an application and analyzed the requirements of the clients. They are skilled in Java and database design for software development. The tasks they do are complex, including scanning IDs of the receiver and serial numbers on each unit, testing the units to make sure they work properly, and checking for any defects and damages. They are also trained in using numerical codes for passing or failing each unit and writing serial numbers on the production tracker.
Senior quality assurance analysts are responsible for developing and implementing quality assurance standards within an organization. They collect and analyze data to reinforce proposed projects, systems requirements, and business cases. These will include writing scripts and test plans to monitor errors and fixes in product and software development, operational systems, and information systems. Besides, they are also responsible for several tasks, including preparing reports and recommendations, communicating with suppliers and vendors in assessing applications, and conducting internal audits.
Functional testers and senior quality assurance analysts have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Functional Tester | Senior Quality Assurance Analyst | |
| Average salary | $76,647 | $93,563 |
| Salary range | Between $61,000 And $94,000 | Between $74,000 And $117,000 |
| Highest paying City | Bellevue, WA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | California |
| Best paying company | Cerner | Riot Games |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Finance |
There are a few differences between a functional tester and a senior quality assurance analyst in terms of educational background:
| Functional Tester | Senior Quality Assurance Analyst | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | California State University - Long Beach | - |
Here are the differences between functional testers' and senior quality assurance analysts' demographics:
| Functional Tester | Senior Quality Assurance Analyst | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 65.3% Female, 34.7% | Male, 52.8% Female, 47.2% |
| 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% |