Core network engineer vs information technology administrator

The differences between core network engineers and information technology administrators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a core network engineer and an information technology administrator. Additionally, a core network engineer has an average salary of $103,964, which is higher than the $73,195 average annual salary of an information technology administrator.

The top three skills for a core network engineer include IP, java and troubleshoot. The most important skills for an information technology administrator are customer service, troubleshoot, and linux.

Core network engineer vs information technology administrator overview

	Core Network Engineer	Information Technology Administrator
Yearly salary	$103,964	$73,195
Hourly rate	$49.98	$35.19
Growth rate	5%	5%
Number of jobs	34,068	159,499
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 74%	Bachelor's Degree, 56%
Average age	43	43
Years of experience	2	2

What does a core network engineer do?

A Core Network Engineer designs and develops the backbone of an establishment's computer network, facilitating connections from one system to another. They conduct research and assessments to identify project requirements, install and maintain networks, establish guidelines and protocols, develop test structures to identify bugs, troubleshoot errors, and provide technical support as needed. It is also their responsibility to implement security systems and policies, all while maintaining records. A Core Engineer often works together with other engineers to strengthen the workflow and quality of networks.

What does an information technology administrator do?

An Information Technology (IT) administrator is an individual responsible for managing the day-to-day operation of an organization's IT systems and ensuring that the systems are running effectively. IT administrators must conduct consistent analyses of the computer system and install updates when needed. They are required to assess the organization's security programs and run the system for viruses and spyware. IT administrators also extend support to the organization's end-users and train them on desktop applications.

Core network engineer vs information technology administrator salary

Core network engineers and information technology administrators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Core Network Engineer	Information Technology Administrator
Average salary	$103,964	$73,195
Salary range	Between $78,000 And $137,000	Between $50,000 And $105,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	California	California
Best paying company	Flipboard	Databricks
Best paying industry	Automotive	Finance

Differences between core network engineer and information technology administrator education

There are a few differences between a core network engineer and an information technology administrator in terms of educational background:

	Core Network Engineer	Information Technology Administrator
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 74%	Bachelor's Degree, 56%
Most common major	Electrical Engineering	Computer Science
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	Stanford University

Core network engineer vs information technology administrator demographics

Here are the differences between core network engineers' and information technology administrators' demographics:

	Core Network Engineer	Information Technology Administrator
Average age	43	43
Gender ratio	Male, 85.7% Female, 14.3%	Male, 81.6% Female, 18.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.0% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.7% Asian, 13.9% White, 61.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%	Black or African American, 9.1% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.7% Asian, 9.8% White, 63.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between core network engineer and information technology administrator duties and responsibilities

Core network engineer example responsibilities.

Design and manage printer repair and installation for the corporate Nortel campus.
Manage Cisco NAS, QNAP NAS encrypt storage device configurations, perform IOS upgrades.
Provide technical support with managing data from the Verizon LTE network to pass through WiFi access points.
Manage deployment and testing updates for wireless systems, such as WCS, WiSM, and WLC.
Manage marketing and exec team's ad-hoc inquiries via PERL, PL/SQL, SQL and Unix script processes.
Utilize advanced encryption devices to secure communications between all locations manage by the department.

Information technology administrator example responsibilities.

Define, document and project manage the implementation and configuration changes to HRIS applications.
Manage the migration from ADP to Lawson software; adapt HRIS to fit organizational needs.
Manage PC trainers and develop high quality internal instructor-le courses.
Manage host peripheral hardware including disk files and space utilization.
Manage and maintain corporate telecommunications and LAN; recommend repairs as needed.
Manage administration for SharePoint websites including account creation or modifying existing user accounts and site settings.

Core network engineer vs information technology administrator skills

Common core network engineer skills

IP, 10%
Java, 9%
Troubleshoot, 6%
Linux, 5%
Network Design, 5%
Ethernet, 4%

Common information technology administrator skills

Customer Service, 10%
Troubleshoot, 6%
Linux, 5%
Database, 4%
VMware, 4%
Windows Server, 4%

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Core Network Engineer
Core Network Engineer vs Information Technology Administrator

Updated January 8, 2025

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