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The differences between hardware test engineers and systems engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a hardware test engineer and a systems engineer. Additionally, a hardware test engineer has an average salary of $108,602, which is higher than the $82,834 average annual salary of a systems engineer.
The top three skills for a hardware test engineer include python, test equipment and C++. The most important skills for a systems engineer are python, linux, and C++.
| Hardware Test Engineer | Systems Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $108,602 | $82,834 |
| Hourly rate | $52.21 | $39.82 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 21% |
| Number of jobs | 77,022 | 145,936 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Average age | 44 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A hardware test engineer is an IT professional who is responsible for designing, implementing, and executing plans to test computer hardware systems. Hardware test engineers must collaborate with design engineers and the program team to plan the execution of test plans through the entire product development cycle. They are required to develop technical specifications for testers and accepting test equipment from vendors. Hardware test engineers should also be highly knowledgeable in programming languages such as Python and C++.
Systems engineers are responsible for creating and overseeing systems related to the overall operations of the organization. They are in charge of assessing the organization's needs in terms of systems and creating plans to address these needs. These systems are usually related to the production or manufacturing of company products. Systems engineers create end-to-end processes that ensure efficiency and effectiveness. They make sure that the processes they put in place adhere to safety and security policies and guidelines. They also do routine checks and continuously find ways to further improve production and other systems.
Hardware test engineers and systems engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Hardware Test Engineer | Systems Engineer | |
| Average salary | $108,602 | $82,834 |
| Salary range | Between $82,000 And $142,000 | Between $62,000 And $109,000 |
| Highest paying City | Bellevue, WA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | The Citadel |
| Best paying industry | Automotive | Automotive |
There are a few differences between a hardware test engineer and a systems engineer in terms of educational background:
| Hardware Test Engineer | Systems Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Northeastern University | California State University - Long Beach |
Here are the differences between hardware test engineers' and systems engineers' demographics:
| Hardware Test Engineer | Systems Engineer | |
| Average age | 44 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 91.7% Female, 8.3% | Male, 86.1% Female, 13.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 5.1% Unknown, 2.9% Hispanic or Latino, 10.2% Asian, 30.6% White, 50.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 4.7% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 8.4% Asian, 29.7% White, 52.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 8% |