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The differences between software development specialists and software testers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a software development specialist and a software tester. Additionally, a software development specialist has an average salary of $102,196, which is higher than the $78,580 average annual salary of a software tester.
The top three skills for a software development specialist include software development, java and windows. The most important skills for a software tester are test results, regression, and test scripts.
| Software Development Specialist | Software Tester | |
| Yearly salary | $102,196 | $78,580 |
| Hourly rate | $49.13 | $37.78 |
| Growth rate | 21% | - |
| Number of jobs | 252,367 | 208,853 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Average age | 39 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
Software development specialists and software testers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Software Development Specialist | Software Tester | |
| Average salary | $102,196 | $78,580 |
| Salary range | Between $78,000 And $132,000 | Between $61,000 And $100,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Sunnyvale, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | New Hampshire |
| Best paying company | Netflix | Nordstrom |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Technology |
There are a few differences between a software development specialist and a software tester in terms of educational background:
| Software Development Specialist | Software Tester | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between software development specialists' and software testers' demographics:
| Software Development Specialist | Software Tester | |
| Average age | 39 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 67.7% Female, 32.3% | Male, 62.1% Female, 37.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.5% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 8.2% Asian, 29.9% White, 52.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | 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 | 8% | 11% |