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The differences between junior software engineers and software engineers lead 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 engineer and a software engineer lead. Additionally, a software engineer lead has an average salary of $125,565, which is higher than the $77,904 average annual salary of a junior software engineer.
The top three skills for a junior software engineer include java, C++ and python. The most important skills for a software engineer lead are java, python, and software development.
| Junior Software Engineer | Software Engineer Lead | |
| Yearly salary | $77,904 | $125,565 |
| Hourly rate | $37.45 | $60.37 |
| Growth rate | 21% | 21% |
| Number of jobs | 288,448 | 342,462 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 77% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
The role of junior software engineers is to aid and support with software design and computer coding. As a software developer, you are expected to attend and contribute to company meetings, learn the codebase and improve your coding skills, and monitor the technical performance of systems. Other duties include responding to the development team's requests, preparing reports, and performing development tests. Most employers prefer to hire someone with a bachelor's degree in computer science, in-depth knowledge of coding languages such as JavaScript and HTML5, and previous work experience.
A Software Engineer Lead is focused on developing and testing software programs. They manage a team of software engineers that design enterprise software products and operating systems.
Junior software engineers and software engineers lead have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Junior Software Engineer | Software Engineer Lead | |
| Average salary | $77,904 | $125,565 |
| Salary range | Between $59,000 And $101,000 | Between $93,000 And $168,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | Connecticut | Washington |
| Best paying company | Apple | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Automotive |
There are a few differences between a junior software engineer and a software engineer lead in terms of educational background:
| Junior Software Engineer | Software Engineer Lead | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 77% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Harvard University | Harvard University |
Here are the differences between junior software engineers' and software engineers lead' demographics:
| Junior Software Engineer | Software Engineer Lead | |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 74.6% Female, 25.4% | Male, 86.7% Female, 13.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.6% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 8.3% Asian, 29.8% White, 52.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 4.5% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 8.3% Asian, 29.9% White, 52.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |