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The differences between operations engineers and software engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become an operations engineer, becoming a software engineer takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a software engineer has an average salary of $100,260, which is higher than the $91,522 average annual salary of an operations engineer.
The top three skills for an operations engineer include python, cloud and AWS. The most important skills for a software engineer are java, python, and software development.
| Operations Engineer | Software Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $91,522 | $100,260 |
| Hourly rate | $44.00 | $48.20 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 21% |
| Number of jobs | 155,188 | 339,938 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 3.5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Average age | 41 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 4 |
An operations engineer is an individual who is responsible for ensuring that the operations of a company are working properly in industries such as manufacturing or shipping. Operations engineers are required to handle repairs or upgrades to the company's machinery and coordinate with department heads to assist in fine-tuning their operations system. When they have upgraded their system, operations engineers should conduct training with managers as well as employees and other workers. They are also required to examine machinery for defects and communicate maintenance schedules with department heads.
A software engineer is a computer science professional who is responsible for the development of information systems, designing and building computer systems software and applications software. They often prefer to call themselves as a software developer or computer programmer. They have substantial knowledge of programming languages, software development, and computer operating systems, and other technologies. They use these to turn a plan into a final output. They can create a design, test, and develop software based on the needs of their clients.
Operations engineers and software engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Operations Engineer | Software Engineer | |
| Average salary | $91,522 | $100,260 |
| Salary range | Between $63,000 And $132,000 | Between $73,000 And $136,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Bruno, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Apple | The Citadel |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Start-up |
There are a few differences between an operations engineer and a software engineer in terms of educational background:
| Operations Engineer | Software Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Michigan Technological University | Harvard University |
Here are the differences between operations engineers' and software engineers' demographics:
| Operations Engineer | Software Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 89.9% Female, 10.1% | Male, 78.0% Female, 22.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.4% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.2% Asian, 10.6% White, 72.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | Black or African American, 4.4% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 8.1% Asian, 34.0% White, 48.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 8% |