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The differences between scientific programmers and software development engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-8 years to become a scientific programmer, becoming a software development engineer takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a software development engineer has an average salary of $109,147, which is higher than the $83,969 average annual salary of a scientific programmer.
The top three skills for a scientific programmer include python, visualization and linux. The most important skills for a software development engineer are java, software development, and AWS.
| Scientific Programmer | Software Development Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $83,969 | $109,147 |
| Hourly rate | $40.37 | $52.47 |
| Growth rate | -7% | 21% |
| Number of jobs | 120,563 | 356,971 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Average age | 47 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 8 | 4 |
Scientific programmers are professionals who meet with scientists and researchers to determine and understand their program needs. By using their skills in scientific programming, these programmers must write programs from scratch or create by extensively customizing existing tools. They are required to work with senior programmers so that they can enhance their application development knowledge and skills. They must also assist in product testing with research students and collaborate with design engineers and production technicians when conducting system troubleshooting.
A software development engineer is responsible for designing and developing software systems and applications based on clients' specifications and business needs. Software development engineers manage operating systems and analyze network codes to maintain the compatibility of the software applications and control systems. They also run diagnostic tests for every software structure to ensure smooth navigations and perform immediate troubleshooting for inconsistencies. A software development engineer must have a strong command of programming languages, as well as technological processes and analytical skills.
Scientific programmers and software development engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Scientific Programmer | Software Development Engineer | |
| Average salary | $83,969 | $109,147 |
| Salary range | Between $57,000 And $122,000 | Between $80,000 And $147,000 |
| Highest paying City | Newark, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Tech Data | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Retail | Technology |
There are a few differences between a scientific programmer and a software development engineer in terms of educational background:
| Scientific Programmer | Software Development Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Harvard University |
Here are the differences between scientific programmers' and software development engineers' demographics:
| Scientific Programmer | Software Development Engineer | |
| Average age | 47 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 81.4% Female, 18.6% | Male, 79.6% Female, 20.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.9% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 8.7% Asian, 19.1% White, 62.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 4.7% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 8.4% Asian, 32.7% White, 49.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 8% |