Solar designer vs software designer

The differences between solar designers and software designers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a solar designer, becoming a software designer takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a software designer has an average salary of $107,449, which is higher than the $58,292 average annual salary of a solar designer.

The top three skills for a solar designer include CAD, system design and solar power. The most important skills for a software designer are python, java, and software development.

Solar designer vs software designer overview

	Solar Designer	Software Designer
Yearly salary	$58,292	$107,449
Hourly rate	$28.02	$51.66
Growth rate	3%	21%
Number of jobs	46,160	313,443
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 66%	Bachelor's Degree, 70%
Average age	45	39
Years of experience	2	4

Solar designer vs software designer salary

Solar designers and software designers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Solar Designer	Software Designer
Average salary	$58,292	$107,449
Salary range	Between $35,000 And $94,000	Between $80,000 And $144,000
Highest paying City	Petaluma, CA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	California	California
Best paying company	Smith & Associates	Globant
Best paying industry	Professional	Technology

Differences between solar designer and software designer education

There are a few differences between a solar designer and a software designer in terms of educational background:

	Solar Designer	Software Designer
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 66%	Bachelor's Degree, 70%
Most common major	Mechanical Engineering	Computer Science
Most common college	Carnegie Mellon University	Harvard University

Solar designer vs software designer demographics

Here are the differences between solar designers' and software designers' demographics:

	Solar Designer	Software Designer
Average age	45	39
Gender ratio	Male, 88.1% Female, 11.9%	Male, 80.0% Female, 20.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 4.8% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 11.1% Asian, 14.5% White, 64.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%	Black or African American, 4.6% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 8.4% Asian, 29.8% White, 52.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	6%	8%

Differences between solar designer and software designer duties and responsibilities

Solar designer example responsibilities.

Modify SRV-1 source code using JavaScript software to attain tracking at any instantaneous time.
Use of SalesForce, SketchUp, Pictometry & SunCalc to complete design to local AHJ requirements.
Base on previous data, optimize the amount of cushioning material for balancing battery protection and weight.
Design electrical and structural plans for permitting and commissioning at multiple AHJ's and utility companies in AZ.
Determine roof pitch, azimuth, obstructions, BOM & conduit routing for optimum lifetime performance & cost.
Provide AutoCAD drawings and support electrical engineers in construction and renovation of custom homes.

Software designer example responsibilities.

Implement a centralize configuration system for managing application settings, consisting of a desktop application with a WCF backend.
Implement user interface on web base application using HTML5, JavaScript.
Modify kernels to allow proprietary software to function in Linux.
Design PCI driver from scratch and create an API for reuse.
Create hardware configurations for test machines and seek quotes from various UNIX vendors.
Specify, design, implement, test, and document customized HTML generation utilities.

Solar designer vs software designer skills

Common solar designer skills

CAD, 36%
System Design, 24%
Solar Power, 13%
Solar PV, 8%
Solar Panels, 6%
Line Diagrams, 4%

Common software designer skills

Python, 7%
Java, 6%
Software Development, 6%
Linux, 5%
Windows, 5%
Data Structures, 4%