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The differences between senior software managers and software architects can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-8 years to become a senior software manager, becoming a software architect takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a senior software manager has an average salary of $145,610, which is higher than the $114,406 average annual salary of a software architect.
The top three skills for a senior software manager include software development, java and cycle management. The most important skills for a software architect are java, architecture, and cloud.
| Senior Software Manager | Software Architect | |
| Yearly salary | $145,610 | $114,406 |
| Hourly rate | $70.00 | $55.00 |
| Growth rate | 16% | 21% |
| Number of jobs | 139,282 | 319,594 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Average age | 47 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 8 | 4 |
A senior software manager leads a testing team. They are responsible for counseling junior staff, managing resources, conducting software testing, and ensuring quality standards are met. This position requires someone who is resourceful and dynamic. They must also hold an advanced degree.
A Software Architect develops new programs for a variety of technological devices for businesses, computer games, mobile networks, and/or operating systems. They ensure architectural integrity and consistency across the entire product and work closely with executives to explain the benefits of the software.
Senior software managers and software architects have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Software Manager | Software Architect | |
| Average salary | $145,610 | $114,406 |
| Salary range | Between $107,000 And $197,000 | Between $82,000 And $158,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | eBay | Aspiration |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a senior software manager and a software architect in terms of educational background:
| Senior Software Manager | Software Architect | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Carnegie Mellon University | Harvard University |
Here are the differences between senior software managers' and software architects' demographics:
| Senior Software Manager | Software Architect | |
| Average age | 47 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 79.5% Female, 20.5% | Male, 93.8% Female, 6.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 5.7% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 8.6% Asian, 20.4% White, 60.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 4.3% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 8.1% Asian, 30.0% White, 52.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 8% |