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The differences between senior staff systems engineers and principal engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a senior staff systems engineer, becoming a principal engineer takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a senior staff systems engineer has an average salary of $139,932, which is higher than the $130,213 average annual salary of a principal engineer.
The top three skills for a senior staff systems engineer include java, systems engineering and C++. The most important skills for a principal engineer are java, architecture, and python.
| Senior Staff Systems Engineer | Principal Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $139,932 | $130,213 |
| Hourly rate | $67.28 | $62.60 |
| Growth rate | 21% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 237,501 | 312,683 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Average age | 39 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 6 |
Senior staff systems engineers and principal engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Staff Systems Engineer | Principal Engineer | |
| Average salary | $139,932 | $130,213 |
| Salary range | Between $108,000 And $181,000 | Between $95,000 And $177,000 |
| Highest paying City | Seattle, WA | San Mateo, CA |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | California |
| Best paying company | Cheniere Energy | Grubhub |
| Best paying industry | Telecommunication | Telecommunication |
There are a few differences between a senior staff systems engineer and a principal engineer in terms of educational background:
| Senior Staff Systems Engineer | Principal Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | California State University - Long Beach | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between senior staff systems engineers' and principal engineers' demographics:
| Senior Staff Systems Engineer | Principal Engineer | |
| Average age | 39 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 87.9% Female, 12.1% | Male, 92.6% Female, 7.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.3% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 8.0% Asian, 30.0% White, 52.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 16.6% White, 67.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 5% |