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The differences between junior software engineers and software quality 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 software engineer and a software quality engineer. Additionally, a software quality engineer has an average salary of $99,902, 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 quality engineer are software quality, java, and python.
| Junior Software Engineer | Software Quality Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $77,904 | $99,902 |
| Hourly rate | $37.45 | $48.03 |
| Growth rate | 21% | - |
| Number of jobs | 288,448 | 279,437 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 77% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Average age | 39 | 44 |
| 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 Quality Engineer ensures that the software of a company meets all quality standards. They are responsible for software development, inspection, implementation, testing, and verification.
Junior software engineers and software quality engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Junior Software Engineer | Software Quality Engineer | |
| Average salary | $77,904 | $99,902 |
| Salary range | Between $59,000 And $101,000 | Between $73,000 And $136,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Connecticut | California |
| Best paying company | Apple | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Technology |
There are a few differences between a junior software engineer and a software quality engineer in terms of educational background:
| Junior Software Engineer | Software Quality Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 77% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Harvard University | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between junior software engineers' and software quality engineers' demographics:
| Junior Software Engineer | Software Quality Engineer | |
| Average age | 39 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 74.6% Female, 25.4% | Male, 67.3% Female, 32.7% |
| 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, 6.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 8.8% Asian, 12.0% White, 67.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 11% |