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The differences between manufacturing development engineers and software development 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 manufacturing development engineer and a software development engineer. Additionally, a software development engineer has an average salary of $109,147, which is higher than the $77,888 average annual salary of a manufacturing development engineer.
The top three skills for a manufacturing development engineer include R, medical devices and sigma. The most important skills for a software development engineer are java, software development, and AWS.
| Manufacturing Development Engineer | Software Development Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $77,888 | $109,147 |
| Hourly rate | $37.45 | $52.47 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 21% |
| Number of jobs | 105,577 | 356,971 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Average age | 42 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A manufacturing development engineer works to improve the process of making products. The responsibilities of this position are repairing equipment used in manufacturing, purchasing and installing manufacturing equipment, designing new procedures and systems, diagnosing problems with machinery, supervising other engineering and technical staff, and managing the budget for the development engineering staff. They are also responsible for designing, creating, and testing new products. This position requires a mechanical engineering or bioengineering degree.
A software development engineer is responsible for designing and developing software systems and applications based on clients' specifications and business needs. Software development engineers manage operating systems and analyze network codes to maintain the compatibility of the software applications and control systems. They also run diagnostic tests for every software structure to ensure smooth navigations and perform immediate troubleshooting for inconsistencies. A software development engineer must have a strong command of programming languages, as well as technological processes and analytical skills.
Manufacturing development engineers and software development engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Manufacturing Development Engineer | Software Development Engineer | |
| Average salary | $77,888 | $109,147 |
| Salary range | Between $57,000 And $105,000 | Between $80,000 And $147,000 |
| Highest paying City | Menlo Park, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Lumileds | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a manufacturing development engineer and a software development engineer in terms of educational background:
| Manufacturing Development Engineer | Software Development Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Harvard University |
Here are the differences between manufacturing development engineers' and software development engineers' demographics:
| Manufacturing Development Engineer | Software Development Engineer | |
| Average age | 42 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 84.0% Female, 16.0% | Male, 79.6% Female, 20.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.6% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 11.3% Asian, 12.9% White, 67.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 4.7% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 8.4% Asian, 32.7% White, 49.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 8% |