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The differences between industrial process engineers and software engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both an industrial process engineer and a software engineer. Additionally, a software engineer has an average salary of $100,260, which is higher than the $73,891 average annual salary of an industrial process engineer.
The top three skills for an industrial process engineer include process design, sigma and autocad. The most important skills for a software engineer are java, python, and software development.
| Industrial Process Engineer | Software Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $73,891 | $100,260 |
| Hourly rate | $35.52 | $48.20 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 21% |
| Number of jobs | 59,144 | 339,938 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 3.5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 80% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Average age | 42 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
An industrial process Engineer develops, installs, and monitors the processes and pieces of equipment that transform raw materials into finished products. Besides researching and developing new equipment, industrial process engineers also monitor, test, and maintain equipment pieces in their working states. They complete documentation to indicate and ensure everything runs as per the highlighted protocols and regulations. These professionals ensure high productivity rates at all times by supervising industrial processes and working. Also, they update the industrial management and senior colleagues with data and reports.
A software engineer is a computer science professional who is responsible for the development of information systems, designing and building computer systems software and applications software. They often prefer to call themselves as a software developer or computer programmer. They have substantial knowledge of programming languages, software development, and computer operating systems, and other technologies. They use these to turn a plan into a final output. They can create a design, test, and develop software based on the needs of their clients.
Industrial process engineers and software engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Industrial Process Engineer | Software Engineer | |
| Average salary | $73,891 | $100,260 |
| Salary range | Between $58,000 And $94,000 | Between $73,000 And $136,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Bruno, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | California |
| Best paying company | NVIDIA | The Citadel |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Start-up |
There are a few differences between an industrial process engineer and a software engineer in terms of educational background:
| Industrial Process Engineer | Software Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 80% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Most common major | Industrial Engineering | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Harvard University |
Here are the differences between industrial process engineers' and software engineers' demographics:
| Industrial Process Engineer | Software Engineer | |
| Average age | 42 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 83.4% Female, 16.6% | Male, 78.0% Female, 22.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.5% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 10.9% Asian, 13.8% White, 66.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 4.4% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 8.1% Asian, 34.0% White, 48.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 8% |