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The differences between senior solutions engineers and application 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 solutions engineer and an application engineer. Additionally, a senior solutions engineer has an average salary of $110,210, which is higher than the $92,921 average annual salary of an application engineer.
The top three skills for a senior solutions engineer include cloud, healthcare and database. The most important skills for an application engineer are technical support, java, and C++.
| Senior Solutions Engineer | Application Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $110,210 | $92,921 |
| Hourly rate | $52.99 | $44.67 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 177,826 | 111,338 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
Senior Solutions Engineers are information technology (IT) professionals employed by a company that sells software solutions. They would often lead a group of solutions engineers. They usually partner with salespeople in going on fieldwork to clients. They get to know the clients and understand their needs based on the problem areas. Senior Solutions Engineers would then create programs, software, or network infrastructure that would address the clients' specific needs. They should be able to showcase these programs to clients to make them want to get one. As such, Senior Software Engineers should be good communicators and negotiators.
An application engineer is responsible for creating and re-designing system applications based on clients' specifications and sales demands. Application engineers run diagnostic tests on software programs, identify areas of improvement, install necessary updates, upgrade optimization, revise system codes, and provide technical support for customers' needs. They also generate ideas and locate other business opportunities by analyzing current trends in the technology market that would help build revenues and increase profitability for the company. An application engineer must have a strong command of programming languages, software application processes, and general technology disciplines.
Senior solutions engineers and application engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Solutions Engineer | Application Engineer | |
| Average salary | $110,210 | $92,921 |
| Salary range | Between $79,000 And $152,000 | Between $69,000 And $125,000 |
| Highest paying City | Mountain View, CA | Redwood City, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Roku | Morgan Lewis |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Technology |
There are a few differences between a senior solutions engineer and an application engineer in terms of educational background:
| Senior Solutions Engineer | Application Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Georgia Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between senior solutions engineers' and application engineers' demographics:
| Senior Solutions Engineer | Application Engineer | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 88.3% Female, 11.7% | Male, 87.4% Female, 12.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 1.4% Unknown, 6.1% Hispanic or Latino, 6.5% Asian, 10.9% White, 74.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 1.4% Unknown, 6.1% Hispanic or Latino, 6.7% Asian, 11.5% White, 74.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |