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The differences between technical product managers and software engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 8-10 years to become a technical product manager, becoming a software engineer takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a technical product manager has an average salary of $120,052, which is higher than the $100,260 average annual salary of a software engineer.
The top three skills for a technical product manager include technical product, product management and cloud. The most important skills for a software engineer are java, python, and software development.
| Technical Product Manager | Software Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $120,052 | $100,260 |
| Hourly rate | $57.72 | $48.20 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 21% |
| Number of jobs | 185,305 | 339,938 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 3.5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 10 | 4 |
A technical product manager's responsibilities revolve around performing research and analysis to identify consumers' needs, utilizing new technologies to develop strategies and products, coordinating with different teams, and monitoring the entire progress of production. There are also instances when a technical product manager must perform clerical tasks such as producing reports, preparing presentations, responding to issues and concerns promptly, and managing schedules. Furthermore, as a manager, it is essential to lead and encourage staff to meet goals while implementing 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 product managers and software engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Technical Product Manager | Software Engineer | |
| Average salary | $120,052 | $100,260 |
| Salary range | Between $89,000 And $161,000 | Between $73,000 And $136,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Bruno, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | The Citadel |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Start-up |
There are a few differences between a technical product manager and a software engineer in terms of educational background:
| Technical Product Manager | Software Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Most common major | Business | Computer Science |
| Most common college | University of Georgia | Harvard University |
Here are the differences between technical product managers' and software engineers' demographics:
| Technical Product Manager | Software Engineer | |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 75.8% Female, 24.2% | Male, 78.0% Female, 22.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.0% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 8.7% Asian, 8.2% White, 74.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | 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 | 10% | 8% |