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The differences between software testers and software development 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 tester and a software development engineer. Additionally, a software development engineer has an average salary of $109,147, which is higher than the $78,580 average annual salary of a software tester.
The top three skills for a software tester include test results, regression and test scripts. The most important skills for a software development engineer are java, software development, and AWS.
| Software Tester | Software Development Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $78,580 | $109,147 |
| Hourly rate | $37.78 | $52.47 |
| Growth rate | - | 21% |
| Number of jobs | 208,853 | 356,971 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Average age | 44 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
The responsibility of software testers involves the quality assurance of software development and deployment. Software testers conduct manual and automated tests to make sure that the software is developed for its purpose. They remove the issues and bugs within a product before deployment to users. Their responsibilities include software and systems analysis, risk mitigation, and software-related issue prevention. They should have skills in automation, programming, social networking, logical thinking, and mobile and web technology.
A software development engineer is responsible for designing and developing software systems and applications based on clients' specifications and business needs. Software development engineers manage operating systems and analyze network codes to maintain the compatibility of the software applications and control systems. They also run diagnostic tests for every software structure to ensure smooth navigations and perform immediate troubleshooting for inconsistencies. A software development engineer must have a strong command of programming languages, as well as technological processes and analytical skills.
Software testers and software development engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Software Tester | Software Development Engineer | |
| Average salary | $78,580 | $109,147 |
| Salary range | Between $61,000 And $100,000 | Between $80,000 And $147,000 |
| Highest paying City | Sunnyvale, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | New Hampshire | California |
| Best paying company | Nordstrom | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a software tester and a software development engineer in terms of educational background:
| Software Tester | Software Development Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Harvard University |
Here are the differences between software testers' and software development engineers' demographics:
| Software Tester | Software Development Engineer | |
| Average age | 44 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 62.1% Female, 37.9% | Male, 79.6% Female, 20.4% |
| 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, 4.7% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 8.4% Asian, 32.7% White, 49.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 8% |