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The differences between senior solutions engineers and software 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 solutions engineer, becoming a software engineer takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a senior solutions engineer has an average salary of $110,210, which is higher than the $100,260 average annual salary of a software engineer.
The top three skills for a senior solutions engineer include cloud, healthcare and database. The most important skills for a software engineer are java, python, and software development.
| Senior Solutions Engineer | Software Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $110,210 | $100,260 |
| Hourly rate | $52.99 | $48.20 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 21% |
| Number of jobs | 177,826 | 339,938 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 3.5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Average age | 44 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 4 |
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.
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 solutions engineers and software engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Solutions Engineer | Software Engineer | |
| Average salary | $110,210 | $100,260 |
| Salary range | Between $79,000 And $152,000 | Between $73,000 And $136,000 |
| Highest paying City | Mountain View, CA | San Bruno, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Roku | The Citadel |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Start-up |
There are a few differences between a senior solutions engineer and a software engineer in terms of educational background:
| Senior Solutions Engineer | Software Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Harvard University |
Here are the differences between senior solutions engineers' and software engineers' demographics:
| Senior Solutions Engineer | Software Engineer | |
| Average age | 44 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 88.3% Female, 11.7% | Male, 78.0% Female, 22.0% |
| 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, 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 | 7% | 8% |