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The differences between quality assurance engineers and system test 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 quality assurance engineer and a system test engineer. Additionally, a system test engineer has an average salary of $100,751, which is higher than the $82,215 average annual salary of a quality assurance engineer.
The top three skills for a quality assurance engineer include java, python and regression. The most important skills for a system test engineer are python, test procedures, and C++.
| Quality Assurance Engineer | System Test Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $82,215 | $100,751 |
| Hourly rate | $39.53 | $48.44 |
| Growth rate | - | - |
| Number of jobs | 243,536 | 131,653 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A Quality Assurance Engineer's role is to oversee the overall production and ensure that the product is cost-efficient and aligns with the company's standards. The responsibility mainly revolves around conducting activities that examine and scrutinize the condition of a product or service to identify issues and come up with possible solutions to resolve the issue or attain stronger customer satisfaction. Furthermore, the Quality Assurance Engineer must also ensure that the product adheres to the government regulations and market guidelines.
A system test engineer is responsible for performing diagnostic tests on computer systems and applications, measuring its performance and efficiency, and recommending technical solutions as needed. System test engineers assist in system configuration and network infrastructure, ensuring that the deliverables meet the business requirements and project specifications. They should have excellent knowledge of the technology industry, as well as a strong command of programming languages, to automate scripts for quality check methodologies. A system test engineer coordinates with the technology team in improving the user interface, including navigation and server stability.
Quality assurance engineers and system test engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Quality Assurance Engineer | System Test Engineer | |
| Average salary | $82,215 | $100,751 |
| Salary range | Between $61,000 And $109,000 | Between $76,000 And $132,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Mateo, CA | Petaluma, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Nevada |
| Best paying company | The Citadel | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Professional |
There are a few differences between a quality assurance engineer and a system test engineer in terms of educational background:
| Quality Assurance Engineer | System Test Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | California State University - Long Beach |
Here are the differences between quality assurance engineers' and system test engineers' demographics:
| Quality Assurance Engineer | System Test Engineer | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 69.5% Female, 30.5% | Male, 80.3% Female, 19.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 8.8% Asian, 12.0% White, 67.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 8.8% Asian, 12.0% White, 67.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |