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The differences between release engineers and principal software 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 release engineer and a principal software engineer. Additionally, a principal software engineer has an average salary of $134,230, which is higher than the $97,777 average annual salary of a release engineer.
The top three skills for a release engineer include GIT, python and jenkins. The most important skills for a principal software engineer are java, python, and software development.
| Release Engineer | Principal Software Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $97,777 | $134,230 |
| Hourly rate | $47.01 | $64.53 |
| Growth rate | 21% | 21% |
| Number of jobs | 257,869 | 345,893 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
Release engineers are skilled professionals who ensure that all hardware and software components are correctly working together through the use of their knowledge in coding and programming languages. To make sure that products are configured and implemented successfully, these engineers are required to work with production members, software engineers, and quality assurance (QA) professionals. They must assess the quality and risk of the new products as well as troubleshoot any issues pertaining to the software's performance. Release engineers must also organize a release schedule for a software product by using data analysis and production progress reports.
A Principal Software Engineer is responsible for the technical aspects of an organization's projects. They diagnose, document, and troubleshoot systems to resolve problems identified through testing, as well as implement strategies to improve integration and efficiency.
Release engineers and principal software engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Release Engineer | Principal Software Engineer | |
| Average salary | $97,777 | $134,230 |
| Salary range | Between $73,000 And $130,000 | Between $98,000 And $182,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | California | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | Meta | |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Retail |
There are a few differences between a release engineer and a principal software engineer in terms of educational background:
| Release Engineer | Principal Software Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | California State University - Long Beach |
Here are the differences between release engineers' and principal software engineers' demographics:
| Release Engineer | Principal Software Engineer | |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 79.4% Female, 20.6% | Male, 87.5% Female, 12.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.7% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 8.4% Asian, 29.7% White, 52.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 4.4% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 8.2% Asian, 29.9% White, 52.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |