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The differences between weapons engineers and senior 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 weapons engineer and a senior engineer. Additionally, a senior engineer has an average salary of $108,743, which is higher than the $99,077 average annual salary of a weapons engineer.
The top three skills for a weapons engineer include engineering support, electrical systems and ammunition. The most important skills for a senior engineer are java, python, and architecture.
| Weapons Engineer | Senior Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $99,077 | $108,743 |
| Hourly rate | $47.63 | $52.28 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 85,352 | 343,200 |
| Job satisfaction | 4 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
A weapons engineer is responsible for developing, testing, and managing weapons systems on behalf of a government organization. They may work as an electrical engineer, mechanical engineer, nuclear engineer, chemical engineer, or aerospace engineer. They specialize in developing weapon technologies and national security technologies. A university degree is required to work as a weapons engineer in any defense organization.
A senior engineer is responsible for overseeing all operations within a designated area. With years of experience and expertise, a senior engineer may take charge of establishing goals, deadlines, and budgets for a particular project. They must devise and implement strategies that would improve the quality of workflow and deliver significant results. Furthermore, a senior manager must also supervise a team of skilled engineers, leading them in the joint effort to reach the company's vision and mission, all while adhering to the safety standards and regulations.
Weapons engineers and senior engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Weapons Engineer | Senior Engineer | |
| Average salary | $99,077 | $108,743 |
| Salary range | Between $65,000 And $150,000 | Between $82,000 And $144,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | San Mateo, CA |
| Highest paying state | - | California |
| Best paying company | - | Roku |
| Best paying industry | - | Start-up |
There are a few differences between a weapons engineer and a senior engineer in terms of educational background:
| Weapons Engineer | Senior Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Georgia Institute of Technology | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between weapons engineers' and senior engineers' demographics:
| Weapons Engineer | Senior Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 84.6% Female, 15.4% | Male, 89.1% Female, 10.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 2.8% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 6.5% Asian, 11.1% White, 75.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | Black or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 17.1% White, 67.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |