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The differences between senior software engineers lead 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 software engineer lead and a software engineer. Additionally, a senior software engineer lead has an average salary of $129,060, which is higher than the $100,260 average annual salary of a software engineer.
The top three skills for a senior software engineer lead include java, architecture and software development. The most important skills for a software engineer are java, python, and software development.
| Senior Software Engineer Lead | Software Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $129,060 | $100,260 |
| Hourly rate | $62.05 | $48.20 |
| Growth rate | 21% | 21% |
| Number of jobs | 322,973 | 339,938 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 3.5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A senior software engineer lead is responsible for overseeing the software creation process. They analyze projects, rectify errors, interpret project requirements, and develop detailed designs. They must create reports of all weekly tasks and ensure best practices are followed by their team.
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 software engineers lead and software engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Software Engineer Lead | Software Engineer | |
| Average salary | $129,060 | $100,260 |
| Salary range | Between $96,000 And $173,000 | Between $73,000 And $136,000 |
| Highest paying City | Seattle, WA | San Bruno, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | California |
| Best paying company | PitchBook Data | The Citadel |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Start-up |
There are a few differences between a senior software engineer lead and a software engineer in terms of educational background:
| Senior Software Engineer Lead | Software Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Harvard University | Harvard University |
Here are the differences between senior software engineers lead' and software engineers' demographics:
| Senior Software Engineer Lead | Software Engineer | |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 79.0% Female, 21.0% | Male, 78.0% Female, 22.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.5% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 8.2% Asian, 33.4% White, 48.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | 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 | 8% | 8% |