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Programmer vs software design engineer

The differences between programmers and software design engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-8 years to become a programmer, becoming a software design engineer takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a software design engineer has an average salary of $98,799, which is higher than the $73,007 average annual salary of a programmer.

The top three skills for a programmer include java, javascript and CSS. The most important skills for a software design engineer are software development, python, and software design.

Programmer vs software design engineer overview

ProgrammerSoftware Design Engineer
Yearly salary$73,007$98,799
Hourly rate$35.10$47.50
Growth rate-7%21%
Number of jobs234,565315,080
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 67%Bachelor's Degree, 72%
Average age4739
Years of experience84

What does a programmer do?

Computer programmers provide assistance and services concerning computer applications and software programs. A computer programmer must be highly-knowledgeable on programming languages and operating systems to create projects and fix any malfunctions under minimal supervision. Computer programmers must have excellent communication and critical-thinking skills to analyze data and request assistance from a senior programmer as needed. They must also be keen on details to oversee possible faulty codes, troubleshooting problems, and upgrading systems to ensure that the program will perform smoothly and efficiently.

What does a software design engineer do?

A software design engineer or SDE is part of a software development enterprise. Software design engineers determine the problems or issues and figure out how to establish programs to ease and automate the situations. They fabricate style sheets for the management of the individual aspects of huge engineering projects. It is their job to develop strategies for hardware architecture and software engineering. They also handle and mentor engineering interns for professional guidance.

Programmer vs software design engineer salary

Programmers and software design engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.

ProgrammerSoftware Design Engineer
Average salary$73,007$98,799
Salary rangeBetween $54,000 And $98,000Between $74,000 And $130,000
Highest paying CityBothell, WASan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateWashingtonCalifornia
Best paying companyMayo ClinicApple
Best paying industryFinanceTechnology

Differences between programmer and software design engineer education

There are a few differences between a programmer and a software design engineer in terms of educational background:

ProgrammerSoftware Design Engineer
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 67%Bachelor's Degree, 72%
Most common majorComputer ScienceComputer Science
Most common collegeMassachusetts Institute of TechnologyHarvard University

Programmer vs software design engineer demographics

Here are the differences between programmers' and software design engineers' demographics:

ProgrammerSoftware Design Engineer
Average age4739
Gender ratioMale, 74.4% Female, 25.6%Male, 81.6% Female, 18.4%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 4.8% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 8.5% Asian, 17.8% White, 64.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%Black or African American, 4.5% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 8.2% Asian, 29.9% White, 52.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage11%8%

Differences between programmer and software design engineer duties and responsibilities

Programmer example responsibilities.

  • Create windows form application to manage flight and passenger information.
  • Utilize Jenkins to automate the building and deploying of these software units.
  • Implement a centralize configuration system for managing application settings, consisting of a desktop application with a WCF backend.
  • Create and automate ETL package to import monthly utility data from several electric utilities using Perl, PHP, and PL/SQL.
  • Convert PowerBuilder payroll applications into Java applications emphasizing user interface and customer requirements.
  • Work directly with the project manager to implement advance HTML and JavaScript solutions design to accurately capture survey data.
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Software design engineer example responsibilities.

  • Fabricate style sheets to manage the look-and-feel of the site using CSS, bootstrap and XML.
  • Work on HMI (including both GUI and SUI) apps for shell menu and device manage app.
  • Contribute to implementing microservices used to manage entities and maintain a synchronize state between supplier and distributor.
  • Code are developed under Linux using C++.
  • Develop and invent a tool to auto-generate HTML for hypertext navigation of the XML source code for ADT.
  • Participate in the design architecture, documentation, development, and testing using C++ on a UNIX base system.
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Programmer vs software design engineer skills

Common programmer skills
  • Java, 9%
  • JavaScript, 8%
  • CSS, 6%
  • Object Oriented Programming, 6%
  • Python, 5%
  • Data Entry, 5%
Common software design engineer skills
  • Software Development, 7%
  • Python, 7%
  • Software Design, 7%
  • Java, 6%
  • Linux, 5%
  • GIT, 4%

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