Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between principal firmware engineers and senior system designers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a principal firmware engineer and a senior system designer. Additionally, a principal firmware engineer has an average salary of $134,114, which is higher than the $117,540 average annual salary of a senior system designer.
The top three skills for a principal firmware engineer include python, debugging and SSD. The most important skills for a senior system designer are sketch, CAD, and control systems.
Principal firmware engineers and senior system designers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Principal Firmware Engineer | Senior System Designer | |
| Average salary | $134,114 | $117,540 |
| Salary range | Between $103,000 And $174,000 | Between $90,000 And $152,000 |
| Highest paying City | Seattle, WA | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Washington |
| Best paying company | Micron Technology | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Retail | Transportation |
There are a few differences between a principal firmware engineer and a senior system designer in terms of educational background:
| Principal Firmware Engineer | Senior System Designer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 50% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Drafting And Design |
| Most common college | Harvard University | - |
Here are the differences between principal firmware engineers' and senior system designers' demographics:
| Principal Firmware Engineer | Senior System Designer | |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 93.8% Female, 6.3% | Male, 90.3% Female, 9.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.4% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 8.1% Asian, 30.0% White, 52.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 4.7% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 8.4% Asian, 29.7% White, 52.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |