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The differences between start-up engineers and lead engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a start-up engineer and a lead engineer. Additionally, a start-up engineer has an average salary of $96,978, which is higher than the $84,927 average annual salary of a lead engineer.
The top three skills for a start-up engineer include test results, control systems and test procedures. The most important skills for a lead engineer are java, python, and architecture.
| Start-Up Engineer | Lead Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $96,978 | $84,927 |
| Hourly rate | $46.62 | $40.83 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 87,993 | 301,777 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
A start-up engineer must have systematic debugging skills. They are responsible for fixing bugs reported by clients. They must also promptly navigate unfamiliar codebases. They develop new tools to meet clients' needs.
A lead engineer's duties vary on their line of work or industry of employment. Typically, their responsibilities will revolve around overseeing the progress of operations and performance of the workforce, ensuring that everything is running smoothly. They are also responsible for addressing issues and concerns, assessing risks, monitoring the budget, coordinating with clients and architects, and even training workers. Furthermore, as a lead engineer, it is crucial to conduct regular inspections to ensure the quality of work and maintain a safe environment for all workers.
Start-up engineers and lead engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Start-Up Engineer | Lead Engineer | |
| Average salary | $96,978 | $84,927 |
| Salary range | Between $62,000 And $150,000 | Between $60,000 And $120,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | New Mexico | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | CyberCoders | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Automotive |
There are a few differences between a start-up engineer and a lead engineer in terms of educational background:
| Start-Up Engineer | Lead Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between start-up engineers' and lead engineers' demographics:
| Start-Up Engineer | Lead Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 93.4% Female, 6.6% | Male, 90.8% Female, 9.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.4% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.2% Asian, 10.3% White, 72.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | Black or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 16.8% White, 67.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |