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The differences between staff test engineers and quality assurance 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 staff test engineer and a quality assurance engineer. Additionally, a staff test engineer has an average salary of $115,935, which is higher than the $82,215 average annual salary of a quality assurance engineer.
The top three skills for a staff test engineer include C++, data analysis and test results. The most important skills for a quality assurance engineer are java, python, and regression.
| Staff Test Engineer | Quality Assurance Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $115,935 | $82,215 |
| Hourly rate | $55.74 | $39.53 |
| Growth rate | 3% | - |
| Number of jobs | 123,176 | 243,536 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A staff test engineer is responsible for setting guidelines for a test plan. They also monitor technicians and other expert engineers. They frequently collaborate with other engineering staff to develop comprehensive testability requirements. They review and suggests testability modules.
A Quality Assurance Engineer's role is to oversee the overall production and ensure that the product is cost-efficient and aligns with the company's standards. The responsibility mainly revolves around conducting activities that examine and scrutinize the condition of a product or service to identify issues and come up with possible solutions to resolve the issue or attain stronger customer satisfaction. Furthermore, the Quality Assurance Engineer must also ensure that the product adheres to the government regulations and market guidelines.
Staff test engineers and quality assurance engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Staff Test Engineer | Quality Assurance Engineer | |
| Average salary | $115,935 | $82,215 |
| Salary range | Between $87,000 And $153,000 | Between $61,000 And $109,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Mateo, CA |
| Highest paying state | Oregon | California |
| Best paying company | The Citadel | |
| Best paying industry | Automotive | Technology |
There are a few differences between a staff test engineer and a quality assurance engineer in terms of educational background:
| Staff Test Engineer | Quality Assurance Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Northeastern University | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between staff test engineers' and quality assurance engineers' demographics:
| Staff Test Engineer | Quality Assurance Engineer | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 83.6% Female, 16.4% | Male, 69.5% Female, 30.5% |
| 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, 6.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 8.8% Asian, 12.0% White, 67.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |