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The differences between quality assurance representatives and quality assurance 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 representative and a quality assurance engineer. Additionally, a quality assurance engineer has an average salary of $82,215, which is higher than the $43,867 average annual salary of a quality assurance representative.
The top three skills for a quality assurance representative include maintenance procedures, patients and safety procedures. The most important skills for a quality assurance engineer are java, python, and regression.
| Quality Assurance Representative | Quality Assurance Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $43,867 | $82,215 |
| Hourly rate | $21.09 | $39.53 |
| Growth rate | 3% | - |
| Number of jobs | 69,120 | 243,536 |
| Job satisfaction | 3 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 48% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
Quality assurance inspectors are responsible for inspecting, testing, and sampling products, materials, or parts for any defects and deviations from company standards. They are tasks to reject any materials, equipment, and products that don't meet specifications. It is their job to discuss inspection results with personnel responsible for the products, and suggest needed corrective actions. To be qualified as a quality assurance inspector, one should have a high school diploma and a college degree, attentive to detail, and have excellent communication skills.
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.
Quality assurance representatives and quality assurance engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Quality Assurance Representative | Quality Assurance Engineer | |
| Average salary | $43,867 | $82,215 |
| Salary range | Between $24,000 And $79,000 | Between $61,000 And $109,000 |
| Highest paying City | Lompoc, CA | San Mateo, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | California |
| Best paying company | Eli Lilly and Company | The Citadel |
| Best paying industry | Government | Technology |
There are a few differences between a quality assurance representative and a quality assurance engineer in terms of educational background:
| Quality Assurance Representative | Quality Assurance Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 48% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Most common major | Business | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between quality assurance representatives' and quality assurance engineers' demographics:
| Quality Assurance Representative | Quality Assurance Engineer | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 60.8% Female, 39.2% | Male, 69.5% Female, 30.5% |
| 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% |