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The differences between database engineers and database specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a database engineer and a database specialist. Additionally, a database engineer has an average salary of $104,648, which is higher than the $77,642 average annual salary of a database specialist.
The top three skills for a database engineer include python, troubleshoot and java. The most important skills for a database specialist are database management, database design, and database administration.
| Database Engineer | Database Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $104,648 | $77,642 |
| Hourly rate | $50.31 | $37.33 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 152,951 | 41,500 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A database engineer is responsible for maintaining the security of an organization's network databases, preventing unauthorized access and activities, and upgrading data infrastructure. Database engineers manage the volume of stored data, ensuring that the information would not affect the traffic flow and navigation. They also design database according to business requirements and needs, conducting multiple quality checks before releasing the final outputs for high functionality. A database engineer must have excellent technical skills, as well as extensive knowledge of programming languages and database administration, to create efficient system networks.
A database specialist is responsible for ensuring the safety and security of the databases to maintain the confidentiality of data. Database specialists determine business requirements and manage multiple operating systems to build the database's efficient structures and feasibility. They also install security protection software tools and programs to prevent unauthorized access and potential leak of restricted information. A database specialist coordinates with the system engineers to improve existing databases and upgrade the network infrastructure for optimization.
Database engineers and database specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Database Engineer | Database Specialist | |
| Average salary | $104,648 | $77,642 |
| Salary range | Between $72,000 And $150,000 | Between $53,000 And $111,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Sacramento, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | Airbnb | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Finance |
There are a few differences between a database engineer and a database specialist in terms of educational background:
| Database Engineer | Database Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Business |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between database engineers' and database specialists' demographics:
| Database Engineer | Database Specialist | |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 78.7% Female, 21.3% | Male, 47.6% Female, 52.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 7.4% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 8.8% Asian, 22.8% White, 55.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | Black or African American, 7.9% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 9.1% Asian, 17.8% White, 59.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |