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The differences between senior application architects and senior engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a senior application architect, becoming a senior engineer takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a senior application architect has an average salary of $121,139, which is higher than the $108,743 average annual salary of a senior engineer.
The top three skills for a senior application architect include cloud, java and API. The most important skills for a senior engineer are java, python, and architecture.
| Senior Application Architect | Senior Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $121,139 | $108,743 |
| Hourly rate | $58.24 | $52.28 |
| Growth rate | 21% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 283,741 | 343,200 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Average age | 39 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 6 |
Senior application architects are information technology (IT) professionals who are responsible for designing and developing IT applications architecture solutions to business problems of an organization. These architects must utilize new technologies that can improve existing systems and ensure the proper synchronization of software and system architectures. They must lead a team of professionals in application development to build plans for capacity planning, application performance, and endurance testing. Senior application architects must also work with customers to gather and analyze their functional and business requirements.
A senior engineer is responsible for overseeing all operations within a designated area. With years of experience and expertise, a senior engineer may take charge of establishing goals, deadlines, and budgets for a particular project. They must devise and implement strategies that would improve the quality of workflow and deliver significant results. Furthermore, a senior manager must also supervise a team of skilled engineers, leading them in the joint effort to reach the company's vision and mission, all while adhering to the safety standards and regulations.
Senior application architects and senior engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Application Architect | Senior Engineer | |
| Average salary | $121,139 | $108,743 |
| Salary range | Between $93,000 And $156,000 | Between $82,000 And $144,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Mateo, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | NVIDIA | Roku |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Start-up |
There are a few differences between a senior application architect and a senior engineer in terms of educational background:
| Senior Application Architect | Senior Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between senior application architects' and senior engineers' demographics:
| Senior Application Architect | Senior Engineer | |
| Average age | 39 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 89.1% Female, 10.9% | Male, 89.1% Female, 10.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.6% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 8.4% Asian, 29.8% White, 52.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 17.1% White, 67.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 5% |