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The differences between junior testers and software test analysts 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 tester and a software test analyst. Additionally, a software test analyst has an average salary of $78,713, which is higher than the $70,002 average annual salary of a junior tester.
The top three skills for a junior tester include test results, test scripts and manual test cases. The most important skills for a software test analyst are test scripts, test results, and regression.
| Junior Tester | Software Test Analyst | |
| Yearly salary | $70,002 | $78,713 |
| Hourly rate | $33.65 | $37.84 |
| Growth rate | - | - |
| Number of jobs | 44,154 | 94,928 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A junior tester has strong critical thinking skills and is very much familiar with automation. They must be a team player; they work with others to create and test out a software program. They monitor and report issues, like system bugs, and help to fix them. Most of the time, a junior tester works at a company that is related to software, web application, java games, or video games.
Software test analysts negotiate testing criteria, conduct tests, and report the data gathered from testing. They collaborate with customers and vendors to clarify use cases for the test products. They use this information to formulate testing protocols and to ensure software meets users' expectations.
Junior testers and software test analysts have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Junior Tester | Software Test Analyst | |
| Average salary | $70,002 | $78,713 |
| Salary range | Between $52,000 And $93,000 | Between $61,000 And $100,000 |
| Highest paying City | Arlington, VA | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | Virginia | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | QSSI | IDEXX |
| Best paying industry | Start-up | Automotive |
There are a few differences between a junior tester and a software test analyst in terms of educational background:
| Junior Tester | Software Test Analyst | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | California State University - Long Beach | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between junior testers' and software test analysts' demographics:
| Junior Tester | Software Test Analyst | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 59.2% Female, 40.8% | Male, 59.4% Female, 40.6% |
| Race ratio | 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% | 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 | 11% | 11% |