Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between senior staff systems engineers and senior software 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 senior software engineer takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a senior staff systems engineer has an average salary of $139,932, which is higher than the $114,494 average annual salary of a senior software engineer.
The top three skills for a senior staff systems engineer include java, systems engineering and C++. The most important skills for a senior software engineer are java, python, and javascript.
| Senior Staff Systems Engineer | Senior Software Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $139,932 | $114,494 |
| Hourly rate | $67.28 | $55.05 |
| Growth rate | 21% | 21% |
| Number of jobs | 237,501 | 338,989 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 3 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 4 |
Senior staff systems engineers and senior software engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Staff Systems Engineer | Senior Software Engineer | |
| Average salary | $139,932 | $114,494 |
| Salary range | Between $108,000 And $181,000 | Between $86,000 And $151,000 |
| Highest paying City | Seattle, WA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | California |
| Best paying company | Cheniere Energy | The Citadel |
| Best paying industry | Telecommunication | Retail |
There are a few differences between a senior staff systems engineer and a senior software engineer in terms of educational background:
| Senior Staff Systems Engineer | Senior Software Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Computer Science |
| Most common college | California State University - Long Beach | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between senior staff systems engineers' and senior software engineers' demographics:
| Senior Staff Systems Engineer | Senior Software Engineer | |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 87.9% Female, 12.1% | Male, 81.4% Female, 18.6% |
| 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, 4.6% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 8.4% Asian, 31.8% White, 50.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |