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The differences between technical design engineers and software engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a technical design engineer, becoming a software engineer takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a software engineer has an average salary of $100,260, which is higher than the $75,599 average annual salary of a technical design engineer.
The top three skills for a technical design engineer include design drawings, windows and infrastructure. The most important skills for a software engineer are java, python, and software development.
| Technical Design Engineer | Software Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $75,599 | $100,260 |
| Hourly rate | $36.35 | $48.20 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 21% |
| Number of jobs | 173,548 | 339,938 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 3.5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 48% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Average age | 41 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 4 |
A technical design engineer specializes in designing a company's products and systems, ensuring quality and efficiency. Among their responsibilities include performing extensive research and analysis, understanding and identifying the needs of every project, developing prototypes and test structures, and coordinating with experts. There are also instances when they must conduct maintenance checks on current systems, executing repairs when necessary. Furthermore, as a technical design engineer, it is essential to maintain an active communication line with staff, coordinating them while enforcing the company's policies and regulations.
A software engineer is a computer science professional who is responsible for the development of information systems, designing and building computer systems software and applications software. They often prefer to call themselves as a software developer or computer programmer. They have substantial knowledge of programming languages, software development, and computer operating systems, and other technologies. They use these to turn a plan into a final output. They can create a design, test, and develop software based on the needs of their clients.
Technical design engineers and software engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Technical Design Engineer | Software Engineer | |
| Average salary | $75,599 | $100,260 |
| Salary range | Between $49,000 And $116,000 | Between $73,000 And $136,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Bruno, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Western Digital | The Citadel |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Start-up |
There are a few differences between a technical design engineer and a software engineer in terms of educational background:
| Technical Design Engineer | Software Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 48% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Most common major | Drafting And Design | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Carnegie Mellon University | Harvard University |
Here are the differences between technical design engineers' and software engineers' demographics:
| Technical Design Engineer | Software Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 83.7% Female, 16.3% | Male, 78.0% Female, 22.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.4% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.3% Asian, 10.3% White, 72.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | Black or African American, 4.4% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 8.1% Asian, 34.0% White, 48.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 8% |