Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between operating system programmers and contract programmers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-8 years to become both an operating system programmer and a contract programmer. Additionally, a contract programmer has an average salary of $80,027, which is higher than the $75,544 average annual salary of an operating system programmer.
The top three skills for an operating system programmer include CNC, technical support and calipers. The most important skills for a contract programmer are microsoft sql server, C++, and web application.
| Operating System Programmer | Contract Programmer | |
| Yearly salary | $75,544 | $80,027 |
| Hourly rate | $36.32 | $38.47 |
| Growth rate | -7% | -7% |
| Number of jobs | 31,053 | 199,998 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 54% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 8 | 8 |
Operating system programmers and contract programmers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Operating System Programmer | Contract Programmer | |
| Average salary | $75,544 | $80,027 |
| Salary range | Between $53,000 And $107,000 | Between $60,000 And $104,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | - |
| Highest paying state | Washington | - |
| Best paying company | NRG Energy | - |
| Best paying industry | Energy | - |
There are a few differences between an operating system programmer and a contract programmer in terms of educational background:
| Operating System Programmer | Contract Programmer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 54% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between operating system programmers' and contract programmers' demographics:
| Operating System Programmer | Contract Programmer | |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 83.9% Female, 16.1% | Male, 84.9% Female, 15.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.9% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 8.6% Asian, 15.1% White, 66.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 5.1% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 9.0% Asian, 14.9% White, 66.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |