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The differences between scientific programmers and software 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 engineer takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a software engineer has an average salary of $100,260, 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 engineer are java, python, and software development.
| Scientific Programmer | Software Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $83,969 | $100,260 |
| Hourly rate | $40.37 | $48.20 |
| Growth rate | -7% | 21% |
| Number of jobs | 120,563 | 339,938 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 3.5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| 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 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.
Scientific programmers and software engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Scientific Programmer | Software Engineer | |
| Average salary | $83,969 | $100,260 |
| Salary range | Between $57,000 And $122,000 | Between $73,000 And $136,000 |
| Highest paying City | Newark, CA | San Bruno, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Tech Data | The Citadel |
| Best paying industry | Retail | Start-up |
There are a few differences between a scientific programmer and a software engineer in terms of educational background:
| Scientific Programmer | Software Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | 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 scientific programmers' and software engineers' demographics:
| Scientific Programmer | Software Engineer | |
| Average age | 47 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 81.4% Female, 18.6% | Male, 78.0% Female, 22.0% |
| 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, 4.4% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 8.1% Asian, 34.0% White, 48.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 8% |