Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between senior test systems engineers and principal systems engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a senior test systems engineer, becoming a principal systems engineer takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a principal systems engineer has an average salary of $133,208, which is higher than the $108,165 average annual salary of a senior test systems engineer.
The top three skills for a senior test systems engineer include python, test procedures and java. The most important skills for a principal systems engineer are systems engineering, DOD, and C++.
| Senior Test Systems Engineer | Principal Systems Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $108,165 | $133,208 |
| Hourly rate | $52.00 | $64.04 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 207,651 | 146,444 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Average age | 44 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 2 |
Senior test systems engineers and principal systems engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Test Systems Engineer | Principal Systems Engineer | |
| Average salary | $108,165 | $133,208 |
| Salary range | Between $85,000 And $136,000 | Between $97,000 And $181,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Oregon | California |
| Best paying company | NVIDIA | eBay |
| Best paying industry | Telecommunication | Telecommunication |
There are a few differences between a senior test systems engineer and a principal systems engineer in terms of educational background:
| Senior Test Systems Engineer | Principal Systems Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Northeastern University | Northeastern University |
Here are the differences between senior test systems engineers' and principal systems engineers' demographics:
| Senior Test Systems Engineer | Principal Systems Engineer | |
| Average age | 44 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 78.3% Female, 21.7% | Male, 89.7% Female, 10.3% |
| 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, 8.3% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 12.1% Asian, 12.8% White, 61.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 9% |