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The differences between senior engineers and senior test engineers 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 engineer, becoming a senior test engineer takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a senior engineer has an average salary of $108,743, which is higher than the $82,775 average annual salary of a senior test engineer.
The top three skills for a senior engineer include java, python and architecture. The most important skills for a senior test engineer are test cases, python, and java.
| Senior Engineer | Senior Test Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $108,743 | $82,775 |
| Hourly rate | $52.28 | $39.80 |
| Growth rate | 2% | - |
| Number of jobs | 343,200 | 245,814 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Average age | 41 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 4 |
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 test engineer is an individual who is responsible for developing and implementing cost-effective methods of testing and troubleshooting computer systems and equipment. Senior test engineers must assist junior engineers in developing test plans and conducting testing activities on complex systems to meet program requirements. They aid in the areas of predictability, manufacturing processing, and improvement in the equipment and process. Senior test engineers must also develop proposal inputs and reviews documents generated by junior engineers.
Senior engineers and senior test engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Engineer | Senior Test Engineer | |
| Average salary | $108,743 | $82,775 |
| Salary range | Between $82,000 And $144,000 | Between $63,000 And $107,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Mateo, CA | Palo Alto, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Roku | |
| Best paying industry | Start-up | Automotive |
There are a few differences between a senior engineer and a senior test engineer in terms of educational background:
| Senior Engineer | Senior Test Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Michigan Technological University | California State University - Long Beach |
Here are the differences between senior engineers' and senior test engineers' demographics:
| Senior Engineer | Senior Test Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 89.1% Female, 10.9% | Male, 79.1% Female, 20.9% |
| 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, 6.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 8.8% Asian, 12.0% White, 67.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 11% |