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The differences between investment bankers 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 investment banker and a software engineer. Additionally, an investment banker has an average salary of $162,715, which is higher than the $100,260 average annual salary of a software engineer.
The top three skills for an investment banker include financial services, discounted cash flow and capital markets. The most important skills for a software engineer are java, python, and software development.
| Investment Banker | Software Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $162,715 | $100,260 |
| Hourly rate | $78.23 | $48.20 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 21% |
| Number of jobs | 28,460 | 339,938 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 3.5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Average age | 43 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
An investment banker is responsible for selling and issuing securities and financial assets to the stock markets to generate money and raise capital for organizations and financial institutions. Investment bankers also work with private clients to advise them of investment options and financial transactions according to the market's condition and clients' interests. They handle the clients' investment portfolios and create propositions for acquisitions and company mergers. An investment banker must have excellent knowledge of the financial and stock industry, as well as having excellent analytical skills to review statistical data and determine the best financial strategies.
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.
Investment bankers and software engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Investment Banker | Software Engineer | |
| Average salary | $162,715 | $100,260 |
| Salary range | Between $95,000 And $276,000 | Between $73,000 And $136,000 |
| Highest paying City | Boston, MA | San Bruno, CA |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | California |
| Best paying company | Citi | The Citadel |
| Best paying industry | Real Estate | Start-up |
There are a few differences between an investment banker and a software engineer in terms of educational background:
| Investment Banker | Software Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Most common major | Business | Computer Science |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | Harvard University |
Here are the differences between investment bankers' and software engineers' demographics:
| Investment Banker | Software Engineer | |
| Average age | 43 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 76.2% Female, 23.8% | Male, 78.0% Female, 22.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 5.5% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 11.5% Asian, 12.4% White, 66.2% 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 | 6% | 8% |