Software Engineer vs Mechanical Engineer: pay, outlook, education and work, side by side.
Every row comes from one named source and says which career leads on that one dimension. There is no overall score.
Software Engineer vs Mechanical Engineer: BLS classifies them as different occupations (SOC 15-1252 and 17-2141). The national median annual wage is $135,980 for software engineers and $104,110 for mechanical engineers (BLS, May 2025). BLS projects national employment to change +10.2% for software engineers and +11.2% for mechanical engineers from 2025 to 2035. Typical entry-level education: Bachelor's degree vs Bachelor's degree. Which fits better depends on what you value; the table shows who leads on each dimension, with no overall winner.
Side by side
Data Differences smaller than a stated threshold read “About the same” (pay 5%, growth 2 points, openings 10%, one education level, ORS 10 points, O*NET 0.2).
Pick what matters to you; the matching rows are highlighted. Nothing is combined into a score.
| Dimension · source | Software EngineerSOC 15-1252 | Mechanical EngineerSOC 17-2141 | Leads on this dimension |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median annual wageBLS OEWS, May 2025 (national) | $135,980 | $104,110 | Software Engineer |
| EmploymentBLS OEWS, May 2025 | 1,687,890 | 296,810 | Not ranked |
| Projected employment change, 2025–35BLS Employment Projections (national) | +10.2% | +11.2% | About the same |
| Projected numeric change in jobs, 2025–35BLS Employment Projections (national) · A count, not a rate: it scales with the size of the occupation. | +174,700 jobs | +33,500 jobs | Not ranked |
| Projected openings (annual average)BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35 | 95,300 a year | 17,800 a year | Software Engineer |
| Typical entry-level educationBLS Employment Projections · typical, not a legal requirement | Bachelor's degree | Bachelor's degree | About the same |
| Typical work experience in a related occupationBLS Employment Projections | None | None | About the same |
| Typical on-the-job trainingBLS Employment Projections | None | None | Not ranked |
| Telework available (share of workers)2025 preliminary BLS ORS | 77.2% | 39.9% | Software Engineer |
| Most common minimum education (share of workers)2025 preliminary BLS ORS · A different metric from BLS typical entry-level education. | Bachelor's degree (75.8%) | Bachelor's degree (97.4%) | Not ranked |
| Pressure level (O*NET, 1–5; lower = less)O*NET® 31.0 work context | 2.36 | 2.83 | Software Engineer |
| Social-contact level (O*NET, 1–5)O*NET® 31.0 work context · not ranked: neither direction is better | 3.02 | 3.92 | Not ranked |
| Freedom to make decisions (O*NET, 1–5)O*NET® 31.0 work context | 4.27 | 4.25 | About the same |
| Work styles O*NET rates most importantO*NET® 31.0 work styles (occupation ratings, not a personality test) | Attention to Detail, Innovation, Dependability | Attention to Detail, Dependability, Innovation | Not ranked |
Choose based on what matters to you
Data Each line restates a measured difference from the table; nothing here predicts how you will feel about a job.
- higher median pay matters most ($135,980 vs $104,110)
- more telework availability matters (77.2% vs 39.9%)
- a lower-pressure work environment matters (2.36 vs 2.83)
Which skills each one leans on
Data O*NET 31.0 skill ratings: level (0–7) and importance.
Skill-profile match: 0% (similarity of the two O*NET skill profiles, importance × level; 100% = identical).
- Technology Design (+3.6 on O*NET's 0–7 skill-level scale)
- Social Perceptiveness (+0.4 on O*NET's 0–7 skill-level scale)
- Systems Evaluation (+0.2 on O*NET's 0–7 skill-level scale)
- Science (+4.5 on O*NET's 0–7 skill-level scale)
- Operations Analysis (+4.4 on O*NET's 0–7 skill-level scale)
- Quality Control Analysis (+4.0 on O*NET's 0–7 skill-level scale)
- Operation and Control (+2.6 on O*NET's 0–7 skill-level scale)
What each career involves
Data Core tasks from O*NET 31.0.
Software Engineer
- Analyze user needs and software requirements to determine feasibility of design within time and cost constraints.
- Develop or direct software system testing or validation procedures, programming, or documentation.
- Confer with systems analysts, engineers, programmers and others to design systems and to obtain information on project limitations and capabilities, performance requirements and interfaces.
- Modify existing software to correct errors, adapt it to new hardware, or upgrade interfaces and improve performance.
Mechanical Engineer
- Read and interpret blueprints, technical drawings, schematics, or computer-generated reports.
- Research, design, evaluate, install, operate, or maintain mechanical products, equipment, systems or processes to meet requirements.
- Specify system components or direct modification of products to ensure conformance with engineering design, performance specifications, or environmental regulations.
- Confer with engineers or other personnel to implement operating procedures, resolve system malfunctions, or provide technical information.
Largest employing industries
Data Share of all jobs in each occupation, BLS Employment Matrix 2025.
Software Engineer
- Professional, scientific, and technical services (40.1% of all jobs in this occupation)
- Management of companies and enterprises (5.6% of all jobs in this occupation)
- Computer and electronic product manufacturing (4.5% of all jobs in this occupation)
Mechanical Engineer
- Professional, scientific, and technical services (31.8% of all jobs in this occupation)
- Machinery manufacturing (13.9% of all jobs in this occupation)
- Transportation equipment manufacturing (10.5% of all jobs in this occupation)
Moving between these careers
Data The comparison shows which; the career-change guides show how.
- Software Engineer → Mechanical Engineer: skills to build: Science, Operations Analysis, Quality Control Analysis.
- Mechanical Engineer → Software Engineer: skills to build: Technology Design. Careers after Mechanical Engineer
Go deeper
Software Engineer career hub · Software Engineer salary · Software Engineer how to become · Mechanical Engineer career hub · Mechanical Engineer salary · Mechanical Engineer how to become · Mechanical Engineer career change
Common questions
Which pays more, Software Engineer or Mechanical Engineer?
Which is growing faster?
Which is better?
How this page is built
BLS classifies them as different occupations (SOC 15-1252 and 17-2141). Pay: BLS OEWS May 2025 national median for each occupation's SOC code. Outlook: BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 (growth, numeric change and annual openings are separate metrics). Requirements rows: 2025 preliminary BLS Occupational Requirements Survey, shown only when both roles have detailed-occupation estimates. Work environment: O*NET 31.0 work context. This page includes information from the O*NET® 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. TryHired has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. Searches this page answers include “software engineer vs mechanical engineer”, “mechanical engineer vs software engineer salary”, “software engineer vs mechanical engineer salary” (Ahrefs, U.S.).
- Any one employer's pay, schedule or culture.
- Job security, ease of hiring or work-life balance: these are not measured here.
- Which career you will prefer: the rows describe the occupations, not you.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 estimates (public domain).
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections program, 2025–35 national projections (growth, openings, typical entry-level education and experience).
- O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. TryHired selected, ranked and combined the data; O*NET is not responsible for these pages.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Requirements Survey, 2025 estimates (preliminary: two of the third wave's samples, collected August 2023 to July 2025; released January 16, 2026), public domain.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections program, 2025–35 National Employment Matrix (all jobs, including self-employed).