Data network specialist vs network technician

The differences between data network specialists and network technicians 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 technician. Additionally, a data network specialist has an average salary of $81,950, which is higher than the $68,938 average annual salary of a network technician.

The top three skills for a data network specialist include switches, timely maintenance and business rules. The most important skills for a network technician are customer service, switches, and troubleshoot.

Data network specialist vs network technician overview

	Data Network Specialist	Network Technician
Yearly salary	$81,950	$68,938
Hourly rate	$39.40	$33.14
Growth rate	5%	5%
Number of jobs	91,708	79,712
Job satisfaction	-	5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 42%	Bachelor's Degree, 50%
Average age	43	43
Years of experience	2	2

Data network specialist vs network technician salary

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

	Data Network Specialist	Network Technician
Average salary	$81,950	$68,938
Salary range	Between $54,000 And $123,000	Between $51,000 And $92,000
Highest paying City	Olympia, WA	Urban Honolulu, HI
Highest paying state	New Hampshire	Hawaii
Best paying company	JPMorgan Chase & Co.	Apple
Best paying industry	Health Care	Finance

Differences between data network specialist and network technician education

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

	Data Network Specialist	Network Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 42%	Bachelor's Degree, 50%
Most common major	Business	Computer Science
Most common college	Stanford University	University of Pennsylvania

Data network specialist vs network technician demographics

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

	Data Network Specialist	Network Technician
Average age	43	43
Gender ratio	Male, 81.8% Female, 18.2%	Male, 87.3% Female, 12.7%
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, 8.9% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.6% Asian, 9.4% White, 63.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between data network specialist and network technician 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 technician example responsibilities.

Install and manage DHCP servers including setting up DHCP scopes, enabling DHCP clients, viewing and managing active leases.
Manage city wide IIS deployment.
Manage Virtualization system, using ESX server/client.
Install, configure and manage Symantec Antivirus on all network computers
Use Symantec BackupExec to manage and maintain all server backups and file restorations.
Manage company Cisco series routers, switches, and ASA firewall integrate into MPLS network.

Data network specialist vs network technician 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 technician skills

Customer Service, 9%
Switches, 6%
Troubleshoot, 6%
Routers, 4%
Lan Wan, 3%
Lan, 3%

Data Network Specialist vs. similar jobs

Data Network Specialist related careers

Data Network Specialist related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Computer and Mathematical Industry
Data Network Specialist
Data Network Specialist vs Network Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse computer and mathematical jobs