What is a performance engineer and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted expert

Brian Glas

A performance engineer focuses on optimizing the speed, reliability, and scalability of software applications. They ensure systems can handle traffic without downtime or slow response times. Performance engineers analyze software performance metrics, identify areas for improvement, and develop solutions. They may also work with developers to optimize code and collaborate with teams to ensure that all components work together seamlessly. Overall, a performance engineer ensures that software applications run smoothly and meet usersâ€™ needs.

What general advice would you give to a performance engineer?

Brian Glas

Assistant Professor of Computer Science, Union University

Build relationships: Different technologies will interest and challenge you, but throughout your career, you'll find that it's the relationships that are the most important. This is harder to grasp earlier in your career, but much easier to understand after 15-20 years.
Gain different perspectives: Spend time with people in other roles that your job interacts with, and gain a solid understanding of how they view things; this is most valuable for career progression and understanding of how your work fits into the big picture.

ScorePerformance EngineerUS Average

Salary

7.6

Avg. Salary $101,647

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

5.1

Growth rate 11%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

4.1

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.51%

Asian 11.99%

Black or African American 6.24%

Hispanic or Latino 8.82%

Unknown 4.70%

White 67.73%

Gender

female 16.64%

male 83.36%

Age - 43

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 43

Stress level

5.1

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

6.1

Complexity level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work life balance

6.0

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

What are the pros and cons of being a performance engineer?

Pros

Opportunity to work with cutting-edge technologies
High demand for performance engineers in various industries
Above-average salary and potential for career growth
Exposure to diverse systems and architectures
Opportunity for remote work

Cons

Long hours and tight deadlines during peak periods
Limited job opportunities in some geographic areas
High risk of burnout due to the intensity of the work
Potential for conflicts with other teams over performance issues
Limited visibility and recognition for contributions outside of the engineering team

Key steps to become a performance engineer

Explore performance engineer education requirements

Most common performance engineer degrees

Bachelor's

67.9 %

Master's

22.9 %

Associate

5.1 %

Start to develop specific performance engineer skills

Skills	Percentages
Java	16.16%
Linux	5.89%
Performance Issues	5.06%
Performance Analysis	4.73%
Profiling	4.41%

Complete relevant performance engineer training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New performance engineers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a performance engineer based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real performance engineer resumes.

Research performance engineer duties and responsibilities

Manage SharePoint inter-office documentation in relation to projects and internal processes.
Prepare load runner scripts base off of the test cases that the QA team and the BA prioritize.
Collaborate with product managers and QA resources to create test scenarios for each and every function of the project.
Coordinate with DBA for optimizing UNIX server for querying data in SQL and running scripts.

Prepare your performance engineer resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your performance engineer resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a performance engineer resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable performance engineer resume templates

Build a professional performance engineer resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your performance engineer resume.

Apply for performance engineer jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a performance engineer job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do performance engineers rate their job?

-/5

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Performance engineer reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Oct 2020

Pros

I like testing because it can be interesting. Things can change but also stay the same. I like routine but not repetition doing the same thing. Testing isn't the best job but a good job.

Cons

Some things you test can be really picky to pass. It's likely they will always fail the first time. Some test seem to always pass and seek insufficient. I always look at productivity but also efficiency. So if not necessary by customer and always passes I can't see why a part of the test he removed especially if another part of the test will fail if it does. Options I am always open to.