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The differences between production 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 production engineer and a software engineer. Additionally, a software engineer has an average salary of $100,260, which is higher than the $89,727 average annual salary of a production engineer.
The top three skills for a production engineer include java, continuous improvement and lean manufacturing. The most important skills for a software engineer are java, python, and software development.
| Production Engineer | Software Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $89,727 | $100,260 |
| Hourly rate | $43.14 | $48.20 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 21% |
| Number of jobs | 94,789 | 339,938 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 3.5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 76% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Average age | 42 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A production engineer is responsible for monitoring the production operations, ensuring everyone's adherence to safety protocols, and evaluating the staff's performance, strategizing on maximizing productivity to deliver efficient results that would drive revenues and increase profitability. Production engineers inspect the reliability of production equipment and machinery, conducting preventive maintenance, and repair inconsistencies to prevent production delays. They also identify areas of improvement with the manufacturing processes and escalate best practices for improvement. A production engineer must be knowledgeable about technological advancements and incorporate ideas to minimize costs without sacrificing the quality of services.
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.
Production engineers and software engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Production Engineer | Software Engineer | |
| Average salary | $89,727 | $100,260 |
| Salary range | Between $64,000 And $125,000 | Between $73,000 And $136,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Bruno, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Cheniere Energy | The Citadel |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Start-up |
There are a few differences between a production engineer and a software engineer in terms of educational background:
| Production Engineer | Software Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 76% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Harvard University |
Here are the differences between production engineers' and software engineers' demographics:
| Production Engineer | Software Engineer | |
| Average age | 42 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 86.7% Female, 13.3% | Male, 78.0% Female, 22.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.3% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 10.5% Asian, 15.4% White, 65.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | 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 | 4% | 8% |