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The differences between senior computer scientists and scientists 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 computer scientist and a scientist. Additionally, a senior computer scientist has an average salary of $139,644, which is higher than the $97,344 average annual salary of a scientist.
The top three skills for a senior computer scientist include python, java and software development. The most important skills for a scientist are chemistry, data analysis, and patients.
| Senior Computer Scientist | Scientist | |
| Yearly salary | $139,644 | $97,344 |
| Hourly rate | $67.14 | $46.80 |
| Growth rate | 16% | 17% |
| Number of jobs | 68,226 | 62,467 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A senior computer scientist is extensively involved in conducting research and solving various computer problems. They work as a part of a research team with programmers, IT professionals, and software engineers to create new products. Their primary goal is creating software that can interact with people and other computers.
A scientist is responsible for researching and analyzing the nature and complexities of the physical world to identify discoveries that would improve people's lives and ignite scientific knowledge for society. Scientists' duties differ in their different areas of expertise, but all of them must have a broad comprehension of scientific disciplines and methods to support their experiments and investigations. They collect the sample for their research, record findings, create research proposals, and release publications. A scientist must know how to utilize laboratory equipment to support the study and drive results efficiently and accurately.
Senior computer scientists and scientists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Computer Scientist | Scientist | |
| Average salary | $139,644 | $97,344 |
| Salary range | Between $102,000 And $190,000 | Between $67,000 And $140,000 |
| Highest paying City | Seattle, WA | Redwood City, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | California |
| Best paying company | NVIDIA | Airbnb |
| Best paying industry | Internet | Technology |
There are a few differences between a senior computer scientist and a scientist in terms of educational background:
| Senior Computer Scientist | Scientist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Chemistry |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | University of Southern California |
Here are the differences between senior computer scientists' and scientists' demographics:
| Senior Computer Scientist | Scientist | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 84.6% Female, 15.4% | Male, 56.9% Female, 43.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.2% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 6.9% Asian, 18.8% White, 64.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% | Black or African American, 6.5% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 9.8% Asian, 26.3% White, 53.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 8% |