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The differences between senior database 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 database engineer and a software engineer. Additionally, a senior database engineer has an average salary of $123,540, which is higher than the $100,260 average annual salary of a software engineer.
The top three skills for a senior database engineer include AWS, java and ETL. The most important skills for a software engineer are java, python, and software development.
| Senior Database Engineer | Software Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $123,540 | $100,260 |
| Hourly rate | $59.39 | $48.20 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 21% |
| Number of jobs | 110,265 | 339,938 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 3.5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Average age | 46 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A senior database engineer specializes in designing and developing databases for a company. Among their responsibilities include identifying and understanding the company's needs, creating and maintaining database projects and programs, writing scripts, troubleshooting errors, fixing bugs, and performing upgrades. They must also provide technical support to employees, addressing and resolving issues promptly and efficiently. Furthermore, as a senior engineer, it is essential to lead and serve as a mentor to junior engineers while implementing the company's policies and regulations.
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 database engineers and software engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Database Engineer | Software Engineer | |
| Average salary | $123,540 | $100,260 |
| Salary range | Between $95,000 And $159,000 | 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 | Internet | Start-up |
There are a few differences between a senior database engineer and a software engineer in terms of educational background:
| Senior Database Engineer | Software Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Harvard University |
Here are the differences between senior database engineers' and software engineers' demographics:
| Senior Database Engineer | Software Engineer | |
| Average age | 46 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 85.6% Female, 14.4% | Male, 78.0% Female, 22.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 7.4% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 8.8% Asian, 23.4% White, 54.6% 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 | 6% | 8% |