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The differences between senior applications engineers and senior software engineers lead can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a senior applications engineer, becoming a senior software engineer lead takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a senior software engineer lead has an average salary of $129,060, 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 senior software engineer lead are java, architecture, and software development.
| Senior Applications Engineer | Senior Software Engineer Lead | |
| Yearly salary | $107,989 | $129,060 |
| Hourly rate | $51.92 | $62.05 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 21% |
| Number of jobs | 274,466 | 322,973 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Average age | 41 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 4 |
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 senior software engineer lead is responsible for overseeing the software creation process. They analyze projects, rectify errors, interpret project requirements, and develop detailed designs. They must create reports of all weekly tasks and ensure best practices are followed by their team.
Senior applications engineers and senior software engineers lead have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Applications Engineer | Senior Software Engineer Lead | |
| Average salary | $107,989 | $129,060 |
| Salary range | Between $84,000 And $138,000 | Between $96,000 And $173,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | California | Washington |
| Best paying company | Netflix | PitchBook Data |
| Best paying industry | Insurance | Finance |
There are a few differences between a senior applications engineer and a senior software engineer lead in terms of educational background:
| Senior Applications Engineer | Senior Software Engineer Lead | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Harvard University |
Here are the differences between senior applications engineers' and senior software engineers lead' demographics:
| Senior Applications Engineer | Senior Software Engineer Lead | |
| Average age | 41 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 88.9% Female, 11.1% | Male, 79.0% Female, 21.0% |
| 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, 4.5% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 8.2% Asian, 33.4% White, 48.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 8% |