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The differences between cisco network engineers and network consultants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a cisco network engineer and a network consultant. Additionally, a cisco network engineer has an average salary of $98,143, which is higher than the $89,303 average annual salary of a network consultant.
The top three skills for a cisco network engineer include switches, firewall and CCNA. The most important skills for a network consultant are appeals, firewall, and windows server.
| Cisco Network Engineer | Network Consultant | |
| Yearly salary | $98,143 | $89,303 |
| Hourly rate | $47.18 | $42.93 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 34,408 | 58,194 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A Cisco network engineer specializes in designing and developing networks using the Cisco systems. Their responsibilities include meeting with clients to identify their needs and preferences, installing and configuring networks, establishing security protocols, facilitating upgrades, creating test structures for speed and security, and performing software and hardware assessments. They may also conduct maintenance checks and repair networks, providing technical support to staff as needed. Moreover, a Cisco network engineer must oversee and encourage staff to reach goals, all while enforcing the company's policies and regulations.
Network consultants are information technology (IT) professionals who are responsible for designing, setting up, and maintaining computer networks for an organization or at a client location. These consultants are required to meet with the manager of an organization and network engineers to discuss their networking requirements. By supervising a team of IT professionals, these consultants must administer technical issues and fix infrastructure issues onsite. Network consultants must also maintain documentation for IT infrastructure as well as coordinate network documentation with account managers.
Cisco network engineers and network consultants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Cisco Network Engineer | Network Consultant | |
| Average salary | $98,143 | $89,303 |
| Salary range | Between $73,000 And $131,000 | Between $60,000 And $132,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Mountain View, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | California |
| Best paying company | Cisco | Dell |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a cisco network engineer and a network consultant in terms of educational background:
| Cisco Network Engineer | Network Consultant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between cisco network engineers' and network consultants' demographics:
| Cisco Network Engineer | Network Consultant | |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 91.9% Female, 8.1% | Male, 87.0% Female, 13.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 7.8% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.6% Asian, 13.7% White, 61.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 9.0% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.7% Asian, 11.3% White, 61.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 9% |