Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between senior engineers and senior applications 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 engineer and a senior applications engineer. Additionally, a senior engineer has an average salary of $108,743, which is higher than the $107,989 average annual salary of a senior applications engineer.
The top three skills for a senior engineer include java, python and architecture. The most important skills for a senior applications engineer are java, C++, and database.
| Senior Engineer | Senior Applications Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $108,743 | $107,989 |
| Hourly rate | $52.28 | $51.92 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 343,200 | 274,466 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
A senior engineer is responsible for overseeing all operations within a designated area. With years of experience and expertise, a senior engineer may take charge of establishing goals, deadlines, and budgets for a particular project. They must devise and implement strategies that would improve the quality of workflow and deliver significant results. Furthermore, a senior manager must also supervise a team of skilled engineers, leading them in the joint effort to reach the company's vision and mission, all while adhering to the safety standards and regulations.
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.
Senior engineers and senior applications engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Engineer | Senior Applications Engineer | |
| Average salary | $108,743 | $107,989 |
| Salary range | Between $82,000 And $144,000 | Between $84,000 And $138,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Mateo, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Roku | Netflix |
| Best paying industry | Start-up | Insurance |
There are a few differences between a senior engineer and a senior applications engineer in terms of educational background:
| Senior Engineer | Senior Applications Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Michigan Technological University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between senior engineers' and senior applications engineers' demographics:
| Senior Engineer | Senior Applications Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 89.1% Female, 10.9% | Male, 88.9% Female, 11.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 17.1% White, 67.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | 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% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |