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The differences between software engineering interns and associate 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 engineering internship and an associate software engineer. Additionally, an associate software engineer has an average salary of $78,981, which is higher than the $47,164 average annual salary of a software engineering internship.
The top three skills for a software engineering internship include java, python and object oriented programming. The most important skills for an associate software engineer are java, python, and C++.
| Software Engineering Internship | Associate Software Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $47,164 | $78,981 |
| Hourly rate | $22.68 | $37.97 |
| Growth rate | 21% | 21% |
| Number of jobs | 301,105 | 298,481 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 80% |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A software engineer intern is responsible for assisting the technology department's operations, using their class knowledge on performing practical applications. Software engineer interns support software engineers on their processes, shadowing their daily tasks, and performing duties under mentors' supervision. They assess ideas, contribute to the development of new applications, and research current technology trends to help with product innovations. A software engineer intern must have excellent knowledge of the technology systems industry, programming languages, and learn efficiently through observations.
An associate software engineer is an individual who is responsible for improving existing software or designing new application software. Working under the supervision of a senior software engineer and together with a team of engineering professionals, associate software engineers must be able to code software and ensure that it can run with different types of technology. They must have the technical knowledge and expertise of commanding programming languages such as JAVA, HTML, and CSS. Associate software engineers are also required to assist the QA team in testing the software before it is released to the customers.
Software engineering interns and associate software engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Software Engineering Internship | Associate Software Engineer | |
| Average salary | $47,164 | $78,981 |
| Salary range | Between $30,000 And $73,000 | Between $60,000 And $102,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Meta | JPMorgan Chase & Co. |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Finance |
There are a few differences between a software engineering internship and an associate software engineer in terms of educational background:
| Software Engineering Internship | Associate Software Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 80% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Harvard University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between software engineering interns' and associate software engineers' demographics:
| Software Engineering Internship | Associate Software Engineer | |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 76.0% Female, 24.0% | Male, 67.3% Female, 32.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.1% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 7.7% Asian, 42.6% White, 40.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 4.0% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 7.7% Asian, 39.6% White, 43.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |