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The differences between software development managers and software design 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 software development manager, becoming a software design engineer takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a software development manager has an average salary of $134,747, which is higher than the $98,799 average annual salary of a software design engineer.
The top three skills for a software development manager include java, AWS and architecture. The most important skills for a software design engineer are software development, python, and software design.
| Software Development Manager | Software Design Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $134,747 | $98,799 |
| Hourly rate | $64.78 | $47.50 |
| Growth rate | 21% | 21% |
| Number of jobs | 265,464 | 315,080 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Average age | 44 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 4 |
A software development manager is an individual who manages teams of software developers that design and create software applications and web services for clients. Software development managers should delegate duties and establish development standards for the development team as well as create a budget and timeline for the project. They must meet with management to discuss how software applications can achieve business objectives. Once the software has been developed, software development managers must train technical and non-technical end-users. They must also be skilled in different programming languages such as HTML, SQL, and JavaScript.
A software design engineer or SDE is part of a software development enterprise. Software design engineers determine the problems or issues and figure out how to establish programs to ease and automate the situations. They fabricate style sheets for the management of the individual aspects of huge engineering projects. It is their job to develop strategies for hardware architecture and software engineering. They also handle and mentor engineering interns for professional guidance.
Software development managers and software design engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Software Development Manager | Software Design Engineer | |
| Average salary | $134,747 | $98,799 |
| Salary range | Between $100,000 And $180,000 | Between $74,000 And $130,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a software development manager and a software design engineer in terms of educational background:
| Software Development Manager | Software Design Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Harvard University |
Here are the differences between software development managers' and software design engineers' demographics:
| Software Development Manager | Software Design Engineer | |
| Average age | 44 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 85.1% Female, 14.9% | Male, 81.6% Female, 18.4% |
| 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, 4.5% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 8.2% Asian, 29.9% White, 52.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 8% |