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The differences between senior automation engineers and software engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a senior automation engineer and a software engineer. Additionally, a senior automation engineer has an average salary of $107,866, which is higher than the $100,260 average annual salary of a software engineer.
The top three skills for a senior automation engineer include python, java and PLC. The most important skills for a software engineer are java, python, and software development.
| Senior Automation Engineer | Software Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $107,866 | $100,260 |
| Hourly rate | $51.86 | $48.20 |
| Growth rate | - | 21% |
| Number of jobs | 211,113 | 339,938 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 3.5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Average age | 44 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A senior automation engineer is responsible for delivering technological solutions designed for software processes. You are expected to collaborate with other teams to help identify and eliminate issues by collecting requirements and executing process automation. Other duties that you will likely perform include identifying new automation opportunities for software processes, designing and implementing quality assurance tests, and identifying bugs and quality issues. You also have to work closely with other departments on how best to improve workflow through automation.
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.
Senior automation engineers and software engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Automation Engineer | Software Engineer | |
| Average salary | $107,866 | $100,260 |
| Salary range | Between $83,000 And $138,000 | Between $73,000 And $136,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Bruno, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | The Citadel | |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Start-up |
There are a few differences between a senior automation engineer and a software engineer in terms of educational background:
| Senior Automation Engineer | Software Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Computer Science |
| Most common college | California State University - Long Beach | Harvard University |
Here are the differences between senior automation engineers' and software engineers' demographics:
| Senior Automation Engineer | Software Engineer | |
| Average age | 44 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 86.9% Female, 13.1% | Male, 78.0% Female, 22.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 8.8% Asian, 12.0% White, 67.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | 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% |