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The differences between software engineers and cyber security specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a software engineer, becoming a cyber security specialist takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a software engineer has an average salary of $100,260, which is higher than the $93,395 average annual salary of a cyber security specialist.
The top three skills for a software engineer include java, python and software development. The most important skills for a cyber security specialist are cyber security, incident response, and NIST.
| Software Engineer | Cyber Security Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $100,260 | $93,395 |
| Hourly rate | $48.20 | $44.90 |
| Growth rate | 21% | 32% |
| Number of jobs | 339,938 | 65,235 |
| Job satisfaction | 3.5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 56% |
| Average age | 39 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 6 |
A software engineer is a computer science professional who is responsible for the development of information systems, designing and building computer systems software and applications software. They often prefer to call themselves as a software developer or computer programmer. They have substantial knowledge of programming languages, software development, and computer operating systems, and other technologies. They use these to turn a plan into a final output. They can create a design, test, and develop software based on the needs of their clients.
Cybersecurity Specialists are information technology (IT) professionals who safeguard and protect the company's networks. They ensure that the network infrastructure is secure at all times. They do routine checks to see whether the infrastructure is vulnerable to attacks. Cybersecurity Specialists monitor and respond to security concerns. They launch programs or software to mitigate any attacks that the company's infrastructure may receive. They also look for ways to minimize the network infrastructure's vulnerability to risks, threats, and attacks.
Software engineers and cyber security specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Software Engineer | Cyber Security Specialist | |
| Average salary | $100,260 | $93,395 |
| Salary range | Between $73,000 And $136,000 | Between $69,000 And $125,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Bruno, CA | Bellevue, WA |
| Highest paying state | California | Washington |
| Best paying company | The Citadel | BP America Inc |
| Best paying industry | Start-up | Technology |
There are a few differences between a software engineer and a cyber security specialist in terms of educational background:
| Software Engineer | Cyber Security Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 56% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Harvard University | North Carolina State University |
Here are the differences between software engineers' and cyber security specialists' demographics:
| Software Engineer | Cyber Security Specialist | |
| Average age | 39 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 78.0% Female, 22.0% | Male, 83.2% Female, 16.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.4% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 8.1% Asian, 34.0% White, 48.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 9.2% Unknown, 6.1% Hispanic or Latino, 9.0% Asian, 9.6% White, 65.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 9% |