Data network specialist vs network manager

The differences between data network specialists and network managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a data network specialist and a network manager. Additionally, a network manager has an average salary of $97,578, which is higher than the $81,950 average annual salary of a data network specialist.

The top three skills for a data network specialist include switches, timely maintenance and business rules. The most important skills for a network manager are customer service, fault management, and network infrastructure.

Data network specialist vs network manager overview

	Data Network Specialist	Network Manager
Yearly salary	$81,950	$97,578
Hourly rate	$39.40	$46.91
Growth rate	5%	5%
Number of jobs	91,708	36,831
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 42%	Bachelor's Degree, 63%
Average age	43	43
Years of experience	2	2

Data network specialist vs network manager salary

Data network specialists and network managers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Data Network Specialist	Network Manager
Average salary	$81,950	$97,578
Salary range	Between $54,000 And $123,000	Between $71,000 And $132,000
Highest paying City	Olympia, WA	Menlo Park, CA
Highest paying state	New Hampshire	California
Best paying company	JPMorgan Chase & Co.	Meta
Best paying industry	Health Care	Technology

Differences between data network specialist and network manager education

There are a few differences between a data network specialist and a network manager in terms of educational background:

	Data Network Specialist	Network Manager
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 42%	Bachelor's Degree, 63%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Stanford University	Stanford University

Data network specialist vs network manager demographics

Here are the differences between data network specialists' and network managers' demographics:

	Data Network Specialist	Network Manager
Average age	43	43
Gender ratio	Male, 81.8% Female, 18.2%	Male, 83.3% Female, 16.7%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.9% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.6% Asian, 9.4% White, 63.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%	Black or African American, 9.0% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.7% Asian, 8.7% White, 64.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between data network specialist and network manager duties and responsibilities

Data network specialist example responsibilities.

Design, develop, and manage SharePoint sites on both classify and unclassify networks.
Maintain and manage a tactical network during military and combat operations, both in garrison and deploy.
Design, configure and run VMWare Vcenter servers to manage multiple ESXi host servers and optimize server resources.
Manage TCP/IP network, install and configure network peripherals, run DHCP clients and servers, and maintain WNS and DNS.
Ensure business continuity by managing and monitoring all infrastructure backups, and notifying business partners of fail backup jobs.
Assist customers, if necessary, with proper configuration of network devices to support VOIP implementation.

Network manager example responsibilities.

Negotiate and manage customer SLA's.
Manage a remote nationwide team of database Sr.
Manage vendor for all PBX move add and changes.
Manage environment in support of define CDRL's and SLA's.
Lead the architecture design for PCI (payment card industry) compliance.
Manage iRules and VIP setup on F5's and juniper load balance.

Data network specialist vs network manager skills

Common data network specialist skills

Switches, 9%
Timely Maintenance, 7%
Business Rules, 6%
Network Management, 6%
Data Network Systems, 5%
VoIP, 5%

Common network manager skills

Customer Service, 12%
Fault Management, 6%
Network Infrastructure, 5%
Switches, 4%
Network Hardware, 4%
Project Management, 4%

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Data Network Specialist vs Network Manager

Updated January 8, 2025

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