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The differences between junior developers 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 a junior developer and a software engineer. Additionally, a software engineer has an average salary of $100,260, which is higher than the $75,006 average annual salary of a junior developer.
The top three skills for a junior developer include java, C++ and javascript. The most important skills for a software engineer are java, python, and software development.
| Junior Developer | Software Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $75,006 | $100,260 |
| Hourly rate | $36.06 | $48.20 |
| Growth rate | 21% | 21% |
| Number of jobs | 259,820 | 339,938 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 3.5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A junior developer is an individual with an entry-level position that is hired by an information technology (IT) company to work with its development team to write and maintain code for computer applications. Being an entry-level position, junior developers are required to learn the codebase and gain experience from working on large projects. They attend and participate in meetings conducted by the development team to discuss issues with other developers. Junior developers must also participate in paired programming with mid-level and senior developers.
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.
Junior developers and software engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Junior Developer | Software Engineer | |
| Average salary | $75,006 | $100,260 |
| Salary range | Between $56,000 And $99,000 | Between $73,000 And $136,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Bruno, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | California |
| Best paying company | Atlassian | The Citadel |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Start-up |
There are a few differences between a junior developer and a software engineer in terms of educational background:
| Junior Developer | Software Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Harvard University | Harvard University |
Here are the differences between junior developers' and software engineers' demographics:
| Junior Developer | Software Engineer | |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 75.9% Female, 24.1% | Male, 78.0% Female, 22.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.6% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 8.4% Asian, 29.8% White, 52.2% 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 | 8% | 8% |