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The differences between functional testers and senior 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 functional tester and a senior quality assurance tester. Additionally, a senior quality assurance tester has an average salary of $93,770, 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 tester are test cases, QA, and regression.
| Functional Tester | Senior Quality Assurance Tester | |
| Yearly salary | $76,647 | $93,770 |
| Hourly rate | $36.85 | $45.08 |
| Growth rate | - | - |
| Number of jobs | 37,146 | 81,916 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| 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.
A senior quality assurance tester manages junior quality assurance staff. They test documents, lead testing procedures, and ensure customer satisfaction. They also work with an engineering development team to make updates to software.
Functional testers and senior quality assurance testers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Functional Tester | Senior Quality Assurance Tester | |
| Average salary | $76,647 | $93,770 |
| Salary range | Between $61,000 And $94,000 | Between $73,000 And $118,000 |
| Highest paying City | Bellevue, WA | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | New Hampshire |
| Best paying company | Cerner | Sagarsoft |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a functional tester and a senior quality assurance tester in terms of educational background:
| Functional Tester | Senior Quality Assurance Tester | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | California State University - Long Beach | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between functional testers' and senior quality assurance testers' demographics:
| Functional Tester | Senior Quality Assurance Tester | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 65.3% Female, 34.7% | Male, 56.4% Female, 43.6% |
| 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% |