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The differences between scientific programmers and web developers 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 web developer takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a scientific programmer has an average salary of $83,969, which is higher than the $78,975 average annual salary of a web developer.
The top three skills for a scientific programmer include python, visualization and linux. The most important skills for a web developer are javascript, html css, and HTML.
| Scientific Programmer | Web Developer | |
| Yearly salary | $83,969 | $78,975 |
| Hourly rate | $40.37 | $37.97 |
| Growth rate | -7% | 13% |
| Number of jobs | 120,563 | 227,881 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 3 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Average age | 47 | 37 |
| 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 web developer is responsible for designing and maintaining a website to attract customers and direct web traffic. Web developers' duty also includes analyzing software and database to develop new applications. A web developer must have extensive knowledge of programming languages and technology solutions to provide the best web design services for the clients, following their specifications, and submitting projects on or before the deadline. Web developers should have excellent time-management and decision-making skills to do tasks efficiently and accurately.
Scientific programmers and web developers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Scientific Programmer | Web Developer | |
| Average salary | $83,969 | $78,975 |
| Salary range | Between $57,000 And $122,000 | Between $60,000 And $103,000 |
| Highest paying City | Newark, CA | Bothell, WA |
| Highest paying state | California | Washington |
| Best paying company | Tech Data | |
| Best paying industry | Retail | Professional |
There are a few differences between a scientific programmer and a web developer in terms of educational background:
| Scientific Programmer | Web Developer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between scientific programmers' and web developers' demographics:
| Scientific Programmer | Web Developer | |
| Average age | 47 | 37 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 81.4% Female, 18.6% | Male, 78.2% Female, 21.8% |
| 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, 6.4% Unknown, 6.5% Hispanic or Latino, 12.0% Asian, 15.9% White, 58.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 9% |