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The differences between quality engineers and software quality 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 engineer and a software quality engineer. Additionally, a software quality engineer has an average salary of $99,902, which is higher than the $79,672 average annual salary of a quality engineer.
The top three skills for a quality engineer include corrective action, continuous improvement and ISO. The most important skills for a software quality engineer are software quality, java, and python.
| Quality Engineer | Software Quality Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $79,672 | $99,902 |
| Hourly rate | $38.30 | $48.03 |
| Growth rate | 10% | - |
| Number of jobs | 96,838 | 279,437 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Average age | 42 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A quality engineer's responsibilities include ensuring that the manufacturing processes are efficient and accurate, documenting findings that would raise concerns, conducting quality tests while observing parameters, and implementing changes as necessary to meet the highest quality standards. Quality engineers need to have excellent problem-solving and observation skills to detect any irregularities and possible malfunctions. They also must be able to communicate effectively with the clients for feedbacks and corrective adjustments, address complaints, and immediately resolve any inconsistencies made.
A Software Quality Engineer ensures that the software of a company meets all quality standards. They are responsible for software development, inspection, implementation, testing, and verification.
Quality engineers and software quality engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Quality Engineer | Software Quality Engineer | |
| Average salary | $79,672 | $99,902 |
| Salary range | Between $61,000 And $103,000 | Between $73,000 And $136,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a quality engineer and a software quality engineer in terms of educational background:
| Quality Engineer | Software Quality Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between quality engineers' and software quality engineers' demographics:
| Quality Engineer | Software Quality Engineer | |
| Average age | 42 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 78.2% Female, 21.8% | Male, 67.3% Female, 32.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.7% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 11.5% Asian, 13.9% White, 65.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | 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 | 4% | 11% |