Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between software engineering interns and 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 a software engineer. Additionally, a software engineer has an average salary of $100,260, 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 a software engineer are java, python, and software development.
| Software Engineering Internship | Software Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $47,164 | $100,260 |
| Hourly rate | $22.68 | $48.20 |
| Growth rate | 21% | 21% |
| Number of jobs | 301,105 | 339,938 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 3.5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| 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.
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.
Software engineering interns and software engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Software Engineering Internship | Software Engineer | |
| Average salary | $47,164 | $100,260 |
| Salary range | Between $30,000 And $73,000 | Between $73,000 And $136,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Bruno, CA |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | The Citadel |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Start-up |
There are a few differences between a software engineering internship and a software engineer in terms of educational background:
| Software Engineering Internship | Software Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Harvard University | Harvard University |
Here are the differences between software engineering interns' and software engineers' demographics:
| Software Engineering Internship | Software Engineer | |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 76.0% Female, 24.0% | Male, 78.0% Female, 22.0% |
| 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, 4.4% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 8.1% Asian, 34.0% White, 48.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |