How to Become a Principal Engineer?
Are you thinking of becoming a Principal Engineer or already started your career and planning the next step? Learn how to become a Principal Engineer, what skills you need to succeed, how to advance your career and get promoted, and what levels of pay to expect at each step on your career path. Explore new Principal Engineer job openings and options for career transitions into related roles.
Principal Engineer Career Path
Principal Engineer
Alias: Senior Staff Engineer, Engineer V...(3)
8+Years of Experience
$132K - $178K /yrAvg. Annual Salary
Senior Principal Engineer
8+Years of Experience
$133K - $226K /yrAvg. Annual Salary
Distinguished Engineer
2 - 4Years of Experience
$70K - $123K /yrAvg. Annual Salary
Salary Trajectory
Principal Engineer Career Path
Engineer Associate Manager
Engineer Manager
Mid-level Engineer
Senior Manager of Engineering
Team Lead Engineer
Principal Engineer
Assistant Director of Engineering
Senior Principal Engineer
Associate Director of Engineering
Distinguished Engineer
Director of Engineering
Senior Director of Engineering
Vice President of Engineering
Deputy Chief Engineer
Chief Engineer
$60K
$104K
$148K
$192K
$280K
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Important Skill Sets for the Principal Engineer Career Path
Written Communication
Operating Systems
Packet Forwarding
GO Python
Related careers in the Engineering Industry
Interested in other Engineering careers? Below are occupations that have high affinity with Principal Engineer skills. Discover some of the most common Principal Engineer career transitions, along with skills overlap.