There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a project engineer/software engineer. For example, did you know that they make an average of $57.15 an hour? That's $118,877 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 21% and produce 284,100 job opportunities across the U.S.

What Does a Project Engineer/Software Engineer Do

There are certain skills that many project engineer/software engineers have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed analytical skills, communication skills and creativity.

Learn more about what a Project Engineer/Software Engineer does

How To Become a Project Engineer/Software Engineer

If you're interested in becoming a project engineer/software engineer, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 74.1% of project engineer/software engineers have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 16.1% of project engineer/software engineers have master's degrees. Even though most project engineer/software engineers have a college degree, it's impossible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.

Learn More About How To Become a Project Engineer/Software Engineer
Top Project Engineer/Software Engineer Jobs Near You

Project Engineer/Software Engineer Career Paths

Average Salary for a Project Engineer/Software Engineer

Project Engineer/Software Engineers in America make an average salary of $118,877 per year or $57 per hour. The top 10 percent makes over $156,000 per year, while the bottom 10 percent under $90,000 per year.
Average Project Engineer/Software Engineer Salary
$118,877 Yearly
$57.15 hourly

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Roles and Types of Project Engineer/Software Engineer

The role of a project engineer/software engineer includes a wide range of responsibilities. These responsibilities can vary based on an individual's specific job, company, or industry.Here are some general project engineer/software engineer responsibilities:

  • Provide engineering support for product development process. Support the chief engineer for advanced engineering in the completion of the department assigned projects for the given calendar year provide guidance
  • Responsible project engineer (pe) for preparing software maintenance plans
  • Help maintain and contribute to the public

There are several types of project engineer/software engineer, including:

Project Engineer

Role:

A project engineer is responsible for the planning and implementation of a project. In collaboration with the management of the enterprise, they review proposals and come up with project goals. They break down the process and create a viable schedule, and then coordinate and monitor the work.

The project, as such, sounds vague because it depends on the industry they work for. In any case, they go on regular meetings with clients to make sure the the evolution of the work matches their vision. It is their responsibility to carry out the work within the budget or to propose adjustments to it if they see fit.

The project engineer will analyze the performance of their team and present progress reports to stakeholders to make sure everyone is at the top of their game.

  • Average Salary: $75,050
  • Degree: Bachelor's Degree

Software Test Engineer

Role:

Software test engineers are professionals who ensure that software is doing what it is designed to do consistently. From their title, one major duty of a software test engineer is to test out the software. They carry out a variety of both automated and manual tests to ensure the software is consistently producing the desired results. After tests have been carried out, you have to come up with reports about the outcome of the test, which will aid decision-making. You are also to collaborate with developers and other colleagues. Sometimes, you could be called to monitor the work of other testers.

Generally, software test engineers hold a bachelor's degree in software engineering or computer science. Having a master's degree gives you an edge and makes you eligible for leadership positions. Software test engineers are not only expected to be shrewd, but you have to be a great communicator. Paying attention to detail, the ability to handle stress well, and multitasking are some other skills you must possess. The median salary per year is $83,070.

  • Average Salary: $85,338
  • Degree: Bachelor's Degree

Software Development Engineer

Role:

While playing games, using specific apps, or merely using your cell-phone, do you ever think who develops them? Well, it's the Software Development Engineer who works day and night to make your screen interaction better and bolder. But trust us, the effort is paid quite well because as a Software Development Engineer, you can make, on average, $56 per hour.

Becoming a software development engineer, however, is not possible without hard work and patience. You need hours and hours of practice after acquiring the required knowledge. Thus, to become one, you must at least get a bachelor's degree. But you will find that more than 45% of the practicing professionals have a master's degree!

As a Software Development Engineer, you will be hired for a 9-5 job, but you don't need a physical office to work. In fact, most of the companies will ask you to work in your comfort zone while completing your projects effectively.

  • Average Salary: $109,147
  • Degree: Bachelor's Degree

States With The Most Project Engineer/Software Engineer Jobs

Mouse over a state to see the number of active project engineer/software engineer jobs in each state. The darker areas on the map show where project engineer/software engineers earn the highest salaries across all 50 states.

Average Salary: Job Openings:

Number Of Project Engineer/Software Engineer Jobs By State

RankStateNumber of JobsAverage Salary
1California18,008$147,539
2Texas6,649$126,783
3Washington5,998$146,728
4Virginia4,818$111,166
5New York4,813$127,617
6Florida4,241$108,583
7Massachusetts4,199$121,108
8Illinois4,043$91,595
9Ohio3,612$110,680
10Pennsylvania3,283$108,826
11North Carolina3,271$105,658
12Minnesota3,220$113,867
13Maryland3,130$110,271
14Michigan3,045$99,887
15Georgia3,018$105,809
16Colorado2,851$116,988
17New Jersey2,788$108,205
18Indiana2,443$98,250
19Oregon2,243$120,678
20Missouri2,141$100,142
21Arizona2,075$121,215
22Wisconsin1,982$101,704
23Tennessee1,577$107,870
24Alabama1,546$91,059
25Utah1,457$127,100
26Iowa1,166$107,191
27Connecticut1,154$111,556
28Kansas1,119$91,314
29Kentucky1,057$111,163
30South Carolina1,038$106,809
31Arkansas986$99,446
32Nebraska929$85,257
33Nevada852$107,160
34Louisiana851$94,348
35New Hampshire842$110,038
36New Mexico824$107,237
37Idaho784$105,849
38Oklahoma733$99,240
39Delaware612$116,361
40Rhode Island534$114,041
41Maine503$104,445
42Mississippi470$99,603
43Montana459$105,928
44Vermont433$118,650
45West Virginia411$103,226
46North Dakota378$93,086
47South Dakota321$104,980
48Wyoming301$99,029
49Hawaii233$105,213
50Alaska230$111,321

Project Engineer/Software Engineer Education

Project Engineer/Software Engineer Majors

Project Engineer/Software Engineer Degrees

Bachelors

74.1 %

Masters

16.1 %

Associate

5.8 %

Top Colleges for Project Engineer/Software Engineers

1. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-State Tuition

$50,420

Enrollment

7,582

2. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

In-State Tuition

$55,695

Enrollment

6,596

3. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$6,798

Enrollment

31,503

4. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-State Tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

5. Georgia Institute of Technology

Atlanta, GA • Private

In-State Tuition

$12,424

Enrollment

15,201

6. Purdue University

West Lafayette, IN • Private

In-State Tuition

$9,992

Enrollment

33,495

7. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-State Tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

8. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-State Tuition

$59,430

Enrollment

8,216

9. California State Polytechnic University, Pomona

Pomona, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$7,353

Enrollment

24,841

10. University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$13,226

Enrollment

31,568

Top Skills For a Project Engineer/Software Engineer

The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 10.7% of project engineer/software engineers listed software development on their resume, but soft skills such as analytical skills and communication skills are important as well.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Project Engineer/Software Engineer Resume templates

Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use Project Engineer/Software Engineer templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your Project Engineer/Software Engineer resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.

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Project Engineer/Software Engineer Resume
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Project Engineer/Software Engineer Resume
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Project Engineer/Software Engineer Resume

Project Engineer/Software Engineer diversity

Project Engineer/Software Engineer Gender Distribution

Male
Male
79%
Female
Female
21%

After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:

  • Among project engineer/software engineers, 21.4% of them are women, while 78.6% are men.

  • The most common race/ethnicity among project engineer/software engineers is White, which makes up 52.2% of all project engineer/software engineers.

  • The most common foreign language among project engineer/software engineers is French at 21.4%.

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Best States For a Project Engineer/Software Engineer

Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as a project engineer/software engineer. The best states for people in this position are California, Washington, New York, and Utah. Project engineer/software engineers make the most in California with an average salary of $147,539. Whereas in Washington and New York, they would average $146,728 and $127,617, respectively. While project engineer/software engineers would only make an average of $127,100 in Utah, you would still make more there than in the rest of the country. We determined these as the best states based on job availability and pay. By finding the median salary, cost of living, and using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Location Quotient, we narrowed down our list of states to these four.

1. Washington

Total Project Engineer/Software Engineer Jobs: 5,998
Highest 10% Earn:
$194,000
Location Quotient:
2.05

2. California

Total Project Engineer/Software Engineer Jobs: 18,008
Highest 10% Earn:
$196,000
Location Quotient:
1.53

3. Utah

Total Project Engineer/Software Engineer Jobs: 1,457
Highest 10% Earn:
$167,000
Location Quotient:
1.14
Full List Of Best States For Project Engineer/Software Engineers

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Top Project Engineer/Software Engineer Employers

Most Common Employers For Project Engineer/Software Engineer

RankCompanyAverage SalaryHourly RateJob Openings
1Honeywell$127,321$61.218
2Aptiv$127,052$61.085
3Ball$117,020$56.268
4General Motors$110,588$53.177
5Wipro Limited$109,057$52.4316
6Pitney Bowes$105,529$50.744
7Boeing$105,201$50.585
8Rockwell Automation$103,925$49.9611
9Innovative Consulting Group$103,265$49.654
10Xerox$101,999$49.046