How To Become A Digital Systems Engineer: What It Is and Career Path

What is a digital systems engineer and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted expert

Maryam Farahani

A digital systems engineer, sometimes called a computer systems engineer, sets up and maintains all of a company's digital systems that they need to function. This can include invoicing software, operating systems, computer desktops, and more.

Digital systems engineers need to know a lot about technology and business in order to buy and set up digital systems according to the needs of their business. They know coding languages such as MATLAB and how to engineer hardware solutions. They know how to troubleshoot problems as they arise in the technological system. Digital systems engineers also need good communication skills in order to lead other IT professionals and explain to colleagues how to use equipment.

Most digital systems engineers have a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering or a similar subject. Some go on to earn an additional master's degree. They also need some professional experience working in technology, for example as engineers or network technicians. Digital systems engineers earn an average salary of $98,540 a year.

What general advice would you give to a digital systems engineer?

Maryam Farahani

Engineering Instructor, Bakersfield College

Thinking about the fields they want to experience or try. And to be intentional about their job search. The best advice is learning as much as they can about what company offers. Visualizing themselves in the next 5 years as a starting point. Do they want to travel a lot, or be in management positions? Do they want to be subject matter expert, or a hands-on engineer or technologist? Their goal may change as they progress in their career but having one makes a big difference in their career choices and keeping them on track.

ScoreDigital Systems EngineerUS Average

Salary

7.9

Avg. Salary $109,672

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

5.7

Growth rate 3%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.1

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.18%

Asian 14.40%

Black or African American 4.85%

Hispanic or Latino 11.27%

Unknown 4.71%

White 64.59%

Gender

female 12.29%

male 87.71%

Age - 44

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 44

Stress level

5.7

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.3

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

7.2

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a digital systems engineer

Explore digital systems engineer education requirements

Most common digital systems engineer degrees

Bachelor's

65.7 %

Associate

17.2 %

Master's

11.6 %

Start to develop specific digital systems engineer skills

Skills	Percentages
RF	14.57%
MATLAB	11.16%
Java	9.66%
JavaScript	6.65%
Digital Systems	5.46%

Complete relevant digital systems engineer training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-2 years on post-employment, on-the-job training. New digital systems engineers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a digital systems engineer based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real digital systems engineer resumes.

Research digital systems engineer duties and responsibilities

Lead UMTS RF engine solutions, development debug, integration, and testing.
Manage UMTS RF engine team to generate boundary requirements for DRP core mean to attach with UMTS modems.
Project manage large agreement, providing significant broadband solutions to a large business entity.
Develop Perl scripts to automate object model and functional mapping into the application metadata and database.

Apply for digital systems engineer jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a digital systems engineer job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams