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The differences between system test engineers lead and senior principal engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a system test engineer lead, becoming a senior principal engineer takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a senior principal engineer has an average salary of $130,642, which is higher than the $90,901 average annual salary of a system test engineer lead.
The top three skills for a system test engineer lead include system integration, system test and test automation. The most important skills for a senior principal engineer are python, architecture, and java.
| System Test Engineer Lead | Senior Principal Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $90,901 | $130,642 |
| Hourly rate | $43.70 | $62.81 |
| Growth rate | - | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 63,788 | 272,459 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Average age | 44 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 6 |
System test engineers lead and senior principal engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| System Test Engineer Lead | Senior Principal Engineer | |
| Average salary | $90,901 | $130,642 |
| Salary range | Between $69,000 And $118,000 | Between $93,000 And $182,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | - | California |
| Best paying company | - | Airbnb |
| Best paying industry | - | Professional |
There are a few differences between a system test engineer lead and a senior principal engineer in terms of educational background:
| System Test Engineer Lead | Senior Principal Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between system test engineers lead' and senior principal engineers' demographics:
| System Test Engineer Lead | Senior Principal Engineer | |
| Average age | 44 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 80.2% Female, 19.8% | Male, 88.2% Female, 11.8% |
| 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, 3.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 17.2% White, 67.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 5% |