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The differences between junior software developers and contract developers 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 software developer and a contract developer. Additionally, a contract developer has an average salary of $91,433, which is higher than the $70,486 average annual salary of a junior software developer.
The top three skills for a junior software developer include java, C++ and javascript. The most important skills for a contract developer are C++, javascript, and java.
| Junior Software Developer | Contract Developer | |
| Yearly salary | $70,486 | $91,433 |
| Hourly rate | $33.89 | $43.96 |
| Growth rate | 21% | 21% |
| Number of jobs | 281,121 | 249,808 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 76% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A junior software developer is an entry-level professional who assists the development manager and the team with all the aspects of software design and coding. With the use of their basic programming knowledge, junior software developers are required to learn the codebase and should improve their skills in coding. They must monitor the performance of the internal systems and work on fixing minor computer bugs. Junior software developers should also gather information from customers about the functionality of the program and report any issues to the development team.
Contract Developers develop secure web applications for data collections, quality measurement efforts, and reporting purposes for large-scale performance, wireframes and UI specifications for interactive and static reporting and analysis features, and developing UI to interact with reporting engines. They are involved with system design and technical documentation and responsible for dot net development. In this position, contract developers must excellent in problem-solving, analytical skills and attention to detail, display and manipulate performance metrics, and highly confident dealing with internal and external clients.
Junior software developers and contract developers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Junior Software Developer | Contract Developer | |
| Average salary | $70,486 | $91,433 |
| Salary range | Between $54,000 And $90,000 | Between $67,000 And $123,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Connecticut | California |
| Best paying company | Apple | Avanade |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Finance |
There are a few differences between a junior software developer and a contract developer in terms of educational background:
| Junior Software Developer | Contract Developer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 76% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Harvard University | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between junior software developers' and contract developers' demographics:
| Junior Software Developer | Contract Developer | |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 80.5% Female, 19.5% | Male, 71.5% Female, 28.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.5% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 8.2% Asian, 29.9% White, 52.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 4.4% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 8.1% Asian, 27.8% White, 54.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |