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The differences between data center engineers and service engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a data center engineer, becoming a service engineer takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a data center engineer has an average salary of $102,788, which is higher than the $87,151 average annual salary of a service engineer.
The top three skills for a data center engineer include data centers, troubleshoot and HVAC. The most important skills for a service engineer are customer service, infrastructure, and cloud.
| Data Center Engineer | Service Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $102,788 | $87,151 |
| Hourly rate | $49.42 | $41.90 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 178,277 | 143,806 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 57% |
| Average age | 43 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 6 |
A data center engineer is responsible for managing the efficiency and optimal performance of the network data systems of an organization. Data center engineers ensure the safety and security of the database to prevent unauthorized access and suspicious activities within the network that may pose risks for the business. They assess the navigation of the servers, conduct regular maintenance, and perform immediate troubleshooting for glitches to avoid any delays in the operation. A data center engineer must have excellent communication and technical skills, especially in writing data resolution for reference and configuration.
A service engineer is responsible for assisting the customers' concerns regarding the products and services offered by the company through technical support solutions. Service engineers conduct preventive maintenance, upgrade systems to boost optimal performance, create product manuals, record the occurring issues, perform adjustments on the systems infrastructure, identify business opportunities to generate more revenues, and analyze current market trends to meet client demands. A service engineer must have excellent communication skills, including extensive knowledge of the technology industry and network systems.
Data center engineers and service engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Data Center Engineer | Service Engineer | |
| Average salary | $102,788 | $87,151 |
| Salary range | Between $71,000 And $147,000 | Between $62,000 And $122,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | The Citadel |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a data center engineer and a service engineer in terms of educational background:
| Data Center Engineer | Service Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 57% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between data center engineers' and service engineers' demographics:
| Data Center Engineer | Service Engineer | |
| Average age | 43 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 94.2% Female, 5.8% | Male, 91.8% Female, 8.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.6% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.3% Asian, 11.0% White, 62.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 3.3% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 8.9% Asian, 13.2% White, 69.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 5% |