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The differences between software engineers senior in quality and principal software 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 software engineer senior in quality and a principal software engineer. Additionally, a principal software engineer has an average salary of $134,230, which is higher than the $110,979 average annual salary of a software engineer senior in quality.
The top three skills for a software engineer senior in quality include software quality, java and software development. The most important skills for a principal software engineer are java, python, and software development.
| Software Engineer Senior In Quality | Principal Software Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $110,979 | $134,230 |
| Hourly rate | $53.36 | $64.53 |
| Growth rate | - | 21% |
| Number of jobs | 257,757 | 345,893 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Average age | 44 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A Software Engineer Senior in Quality plans, creates, and executes manual and automated software test activities. They improve operations by conducting systems analysis.
A Principal Software Engineer is responsible for the technical aspects of an organization's projects. They diagnose, document, and troubleshoot systems to resolve problems identified through testing, as well as implement strategies to improve integration and efficiency.
Software engineers senior in quality and principal software engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Software Engineer Senior In Quality | Principal Software Engineer | |
| Average salary | $110,979 | $134,230 |
| Salary range | Between $85,000 And $143,000 | Between $98,000 And $182,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | California | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | ||
| Best paying industry | Technology | Retail |
There are a few differences between a software engineer senior in quality and a principal software engineer in terms of educational background:
| Software Engineer Senior In Quality | Principal Software Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | California State University - Long Beach |
Here are the differences between software engineers senior in quality' and principal software engineers' demographics:
| Software Engineer Senior In Quality | Principal Software Engineer | |
| Average age | 44 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 66.5% Female, 33.5% | Male, 87.5% Female, 12.5% |
| 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, 4.4% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 8.2% Asian, 29.9% White, 52.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 8% |