Core network engineer vs senior network administrator

The differences between core network engineers and senior network 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 a senior network administrator. Additionally, a core network engineer has an average salary of $103,964, which is higher than the $89,169 average annual salary of a senior network administrator.

The top three skills for a core network engineer include IP, java and troubleshoot. The most important skills for a senior network administrator are switches, routers, and troubleshoot.

Core network engineer vs senior network administrator overview

	Core Network Engineer	Senior Network Administrator
Yearly salary	$103,964	$89,169
Hourly rate	$49.98	$42.87
Growth rate	5%	5%
Number of jobs	34,068	110,027
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 74%	Bachelor's Degree, 58%
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 a senior network administrator do?

Senior Network Administrators provide system and network solutions for their organizations. They supervise the functioning of networking equipment and follow strict maintenance standards.

Core network engineer vs senior network administrator salary

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

	Core Network Engineer	Senior Network Administrator
Average salary	$103,964	$89,169
Salary range	Between $78,000 And $137,000	Between $68,000 And $115,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	San Mateo, CA
Highest paying state	California	California
Best paying company	Flipboard	Tesoro
Best paying industry	Automotive	Finance

Differences between core network engineer and senior network administrator education

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

	Core Network Engineer	Senior Network Administrator
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 74%	Bachelor's Degree, 58%
Most common major	Electrical Engineering	Computer Science
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Core network engineer vs senior network administrator demographics

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

	Core Network Engineer	Senior Network Administrator
Average age	43	43
Gender ratio	Male, 85.7% Female, 14.3%	Male, 91.7% Female, 8.3%
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, 9.0% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.7% Asian, 10.1% White, 62.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between core network engineer and senior network 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.

Senior network administrator example responsibilities.

Lead IP management specialist and assist with management of DHCP scopes and reservations.
Establish and manage SharePoint base intranet for departmental and interdepartmental support.
Configure and manage SQL database archival requests for automate timely data submissions.
Configure and manage multiple data and application servers and maintain SQL relational databases.
Prioritize and manage servicing of customer trouble calls in locally develop tracking database.
Configure and manage company routers and switches in addition to VPN configuration and policy enforcement.

Core network engineer vs senior network administrator skills

Common core network engineer skills

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

Common senior network administrator skills

Switches, 8%
Routers, 5%
Troubleshoot, 5%
Windows Server, 4%
Network Infrastructure, 4%
Lan Wan, 4%

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Core Network Engineer vs Senior Network Administrator

Updated January 8, 2025

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