Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between senior test engineers and automation test engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a senior test engineer and an automation test engineer. Additionally, an automation test engineer has an average salary of $85,353, which is higher than the $82,775 average annual salary of a senior test engineer.
The top three skills for a senior test engineer include test cases, python and java. The most important skills for an automation test engineer are java, python, and jenkins.
| Senior Test Engineer | Automation Test Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $82,775 | $85,353 |
| Hourly rate | $39.80 | $41.04 |
| Growth rate | - | - |
| Number of jobs | 245,814 | 125,816 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A senior test engineer is an individual who is responsible for developing and implementing cost-effective methods of testing and troubleshooting computer systems and equipment. Senior test engineers must assist junior engineers in developing test plans and conducting testing activities on complex systems to meet program requirements. They aid in the areas of predictability, manufacturing processing, and improvement in the equipment and process. Senior test engineers must also develop proposal inputs and reviews documents generated by junior engineers.
Automation Test Engineers are licensed professionals who work with clients on various IT or engineering-related activities. They are part of the growing automation industry. They create software solutions related to the automation of processes, and they work with clients to identify automation opportunities based on the existing software, hardware, and other processes. They have to understand their clients' needs and find the appropriate software solutions based on the clients' needs. Automation test engineers help design these software solutions. The majority of their work is related to testing these software solutions. They conduct quality checks to ensure that the software solution is working properly. They also check whether the software solution truly addresses the clients' needs.
Senior test engineers and automation test engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Test Engineer | Automation Test Engineer | |
| Average salary | $82,775 | $85,353 |
| Salary range | Between $63,000 And $107,000 | Between $64,000 And $112,000 |
| Highest paying City | Palo Alto, CA | San Mateo, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Apple | |
| Best paying industry | Automotive | Technology |
There are a few differences between a senior test engineer and an automation test engineer in terms of educational background:
| Senior Test Engineer | Automation Test Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Computer Science |
| Most common college | California State University - Long Beach | California State University - Long Beach |
Here are the differences between senior test engineers' and automation test engineers' demographics:
| Senior Test Engineer | Automation Test Engineer | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 79.1% Female, 20.9% | Male, 73.8% Female, 26.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 8.8% Asian, 12.0% White, 67.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 8.8% Asian, 12.0% White, 67.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |