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The differences between release engineers and 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 software engineer. Additionally, a software engineer has an average salary of $100,260, 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 software engineer are java, python, and software development.
| Release Engineer | Software Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $97,777 | $100,260 |
| Hourly rate | $47.01 | $48.20 |
| Growth rate | 21% | 21% |
| Number of jobs | 257,869 | 339,938 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 3.5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| 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 software engineer is a computer science professional who is responsible for the development of information systems, designing and building computer systems software and applications software. They often prefer to call themselves as a software developer or computer programmer. They have substantial knowledge of programming languages, software development, and computer operating systems, and other technologies. They use these to turn a plan into a final output. They can create a design, test, and develop software based on the needs of their clients.
Release engineers and software engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Release Engineer | Software Engineer | |
| Average salary | $97,777 | $100,260 |
| Salary range | Between $73,000 And $130,000 | Between $73,000 And $136,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Bruno, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | The Citadel |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Start-up |
There are a few differences between a release engineer and a software engineer in terms of educational background:
| Release Engineer | Software Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Harvard University |
Here are the differences between release engineers' and software engineers' demographics:
| Release Engineer | Software Engineer | |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 79.4% Female, 20.6% | Male, 78.0% Female, 22.0% |
| 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, 8.1% Asian, 34.0% White, 48.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |