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The differences between data center engineers and solutions 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 solutions engineer takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a data center engineer has an average salary of $102,788, which is higher than the $95,482 average annual salary of a solutions engineer.
The top three skills for a data center engineer include data centers, troubleshoot and HVAC. The most important skills for a solutions engineer are cloud, pre sales, and java.
| Data Center Engineer | Solutions Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $102,788 | $95,482 |
| Hourly rate | $49.42 | $45.90 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 178,277 | 123,287 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Average age | 43 | 44 |
| 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 solutions engineer is an individual who assists customers in identifying their computer software needs and generates customized business software solutions for them. Solutions engineers collaborate with other department engineers to create practical demonstrations of proposed solutions and showcase them to the other members of the team. They are required to test the installed software and fix programming bugs that create errors with the system. Solutions engineers also maintain customer relations by providing post-installation follow-ups.
Data center engineers and solutions engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Data Center Engineer | Solutions Engineer | |
| Average salary | $102,788 | $95,482 |
| Salary range | Between $71,000 And $147,000 | Between $68,000 And $134,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | ByteDance |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Start-up |
There are a few differences between a data center engineer and a solutions engineer in terms of educational background:
| Data Center Engineer | Solutions Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between data center engineers' and solutions engineers' demographics:
| Data Center Engineer | Solutions Engineer | |
| Average age | 43 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 94.2% Female, 5.8% | Male, 85.1% Female, 14.9% |
| 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, 1.4% Unknown, 6.1% Hispanic or Latino, 6.9% Asian, 10.8% White, 74.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 7% |