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The differences between principals and staff engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a principal, becoming a staff engineer takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a principal has an average salary of $111,719, which is higher than the $107,530 average annual salary of a staff engineer.
The top three skills for a principal include CRM, project management and financial services. The most important skills for a staff engineer are java, python, and architecture.
| Principal | Staff Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $111,719 | $107,530 |
| Hourly rate | $53.71 | $51.70 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 84,015 | 277,011 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Average age | 47 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 6 |
A principal is responsible for maintaining the orderliness of the school premises and supervising school operations, enforcing strict safety standards, and reiterating regulatory procedures. Principals' duties also include managing and monitoring school budget and expenses, improving security plans, conducting regular meetings and sharing updates with teachers and other school personnel, creating reports for school funding, and setting academic goals for everyone's compliance. A principal must administer excellent leadership, communication, and decision-making skills to handle major administrative tasks in maintaining the school's growth.
Staff engineers are responsible for designing, developing, and inspecting various products, equipment, or structures. These professionals may perform varied duties depending on their specialization that includes overseeing the design and construction of buildings, bridges, sewer systems, and other infrastructure, estimating the financial costs of construction projects, and ensuring compliance with health and safety laws and regulations. Other duties include designing and developing machinery, tools, and engines, solving design problems, and building the manufacturing equipment needed to create their products.
Principals and staff engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Principal | Staff Engineer | |
| Average salary | $111,719 | $107,530 |
| Salary range | Between $69,000 And $179,000 | Between $69,000 And $167,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | San Mateo, CA |
| Highest paying state | New York | California |
| Best paying company | KKR & Co. L.P. | Flexport |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Telecommunication |
There are a few differences between a principal and a staff engineer in terms of educational background:
| Principal | Staff Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Most common major | Business | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between principals' and staff engineers' demographics:
| Principal | Staff Engineer | |
| Average age | 47 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 65.6% Female, 34.4% | Male, 87.9% Female, 12.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.9% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.0% Asian, 4.3% White, 66.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | Black or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 16.8% White, 67.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 16% | 5% |