Systems Engineer vs. Software Engineer

A systems engineer is a professional who works on the overall management of engineering projects, while a software engineer is someone who designs and develops software applications and products.

A systems engineer focuses on all aspects of computer-based system development. Some of their tasks include stakeholder analysis, interface specification, design tradeoffs, configuration management, systematic verification and validation, and obtaining engineering requirements.

A software engineer designs and creates computer systems and software applications. Software engineers work to solve problems in web applications and programs. They also write code, attend company meetings, and collaborate with other software engineers. They usually work on several projects at once.

Here are the key differences between a systems engineer and a software engineer:

• System engineers follow an interdisciplinary approach governing the total technical and managerial effort required to transform requirements into solutions

• Software engineers follow a systematic and disciplined approach to software design, development, deployment, and maintenance of software applications

• System engineers are concerned with all aspects of computer-based system development including hardware, software, and process engineering

• Software engineers are concerned with aspects of software development, infrastructure, control, applications, and databases in the system

• System engineers tend to focus on users and domains