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The differences between performance test engineers and software 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 performance test engineer and a software engineer. Additionally, a software engineer has an average salary of $100,260, which is higher than the $97,965 average annual salary of a performance test engineer.
The top three skills for a performance test engineer include java, test results and jmeter. The most important skills for a software engineer are java, python, and software development.
| Performance Test Engineer | Software Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $97,965 | $100,260 |
| Hourly rate | $47.10 | $48.20 |
| Growth rate | - | 21% |
| Number of jobs | 44,502 | 339,938 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 3.5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Average age | 44 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A performance test engineer is responsible for conducting performance testing to ensure system capacity, reliability, and scalability. Typical duties that you will perform include working closely with the testing team in developing performance test cases and plans, analyzing test results, and handling bug fixes in collaboration with development teams. Additionally, you will be responsible for evaluating the root causes of performance problems and resolve them. You will also be responsible for developing automated test scenarios for performance testing.
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.
Performance test engineers and software engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Performance Test Engineer | Software Engineer | |
| Average salary | $97,965 | $100,260 |
| Salary range | Between $75,000 And $127,000 | 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 | Hospitality | Start-up |
There are a few differences between a performance test engineer and a software engineer in terms of educational background:
| Performance Test Engineer | Software Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | California State University - Long Beach | Harvard University |
Here are the differences between performance test engineers' and software engineers' demographics:
| Performance Test Engineer | Software Engineer | |
| Average age | 44 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 81.1% Female, 18.9% | Male, 78.0% Female, 22.0% |
| 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, 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 | 11% | 8% |