Career comparison
DevOps Engineer vs QA Engineer
A side-by-side read on pay, outlook, and — the part that actually decides it — which one fits the way you work.
DevOps Engineer
$138,000median
$95K – $245K
DevOps Engineer rewards strength in execution discipline and technical depth.
QA Engineer
$92,000median
$65K – $178K
QA Engineer rewards strength in technical depth and analytical thinking.
Head to head
MetricDevOps EngineerQA Engineer
Median salary$138k✓$92k
5-year growth80/100✓56/100
Future-proof72/100✓50/100
Remote potential78/10084/100✓
Stress level76/10054/100✓
Entry difficulty68/10048/100✓
Figures from the Work Fit IQ catalog, calibrated to public 2024-2026 US labor signals (BLS OEWS/OOH, O*NET, Levels.fyi). A highlighted side means a meaningful edge on that metric, not a verdict on the whole career.
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