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The differences between senior applications engineers and principal engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a senior applications engineer and a principal engineer. Additionally, a principal engineer has an average salary of $130,213, which is higher than the $107,989 average annual salary of a senior applications engineer.
The top three skills for a senior applications engineer include java, C++ and database. The most important skills for a principal engineer are java, architecture, and python.
| Senior Applications Engineer | Principal Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $107,989 | $130,213 |
| Hourly rate | $51.92 | $62.60 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 274,466 | 312,683 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
A senior applications engineer specializes in designing and developing a variety of applications and systems, ensuring quality and efficiency. Their responsibilities typically revolve around utilizing feedback and client needs when making decisions, creating test structures for applications, performing installment and repairs, troubleshooting, and performing regular maintenance checks and upgrades. Furthermore, as a senior applications engineer, it is essential to lead and encourage the engineering team to reach goals, all while implementing the company's policies and regulations.
A principal engineer is responsible for monitoring the overall design phase of the construction process, including coordinating with the client for progress and updates, as well as performing adjustments as needed based on clients' specifications and requirements. Principal engineers also inspect the materials and resources used to ensure that the project stays within the budget goals and set timeframe. They should have excellent communication and organizational skills, especially in preparing reports and training new staff.
Senior applications engineers and principal engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Applications Engineer | Principal Engineer | |
| Average salary | $107,989 | $130,213 |
| Salary range | Between $84,000 And $138,000 | Between $95,000 And $177,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Mateo, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Netflix | Grubhub |
| Best paying industry | Insurance | Telecommunication |
There are a few differences between a senior applications engineer and a principal engineer in terms of educational background:
| Senior Applications Engineer | Principal Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between senior applications engineers' and principal engineers' demographics:
| Senior Applications Engineer | Principal Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 88.9% Female, 11.1% | Male, 92.6% Female, 7.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 17.1% White, 67.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | Black or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 16.6% White, 67.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |