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The differences between enterprise systems administrators and systems engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both an enterprise systems administrator and a systems engineer. Additionally, an enterprise systems administrator has an average salary of $89,075, which is higher than the $82,834 average annual salary of a systems engineer.
The top three skills for an enterprise systems administrator include troubleshoot, powershell and database. The most important skills for a systems engineer are python, linux, and C++.
| Enterprise Systems Administrator | Systems Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $89,075 | $82,834 |
| Hourly rate | $42.82 | $39.82 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 21% |
| Number of jobs | 132,907 | 145,936 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Average age | 43 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
Enterprise systems administrators install, maintain, upgrade software and hardware and interface with users to identify the support needs. They ensure system files and user safety by backing up the system's files to enhance system recreation after the system disc driver's hardware crashes. Besides installing, configuring, and supporting enterprise software applications, these systems administrators also assure system security by managing network security, including the operating system, files, and passwords. Moreover, enterprise systems administrators contribute to the computer services' success by performing all other assigned duties.
Systems engineers are responsible for creating and overseeing systems related to the overall operations of the organization. They are in charge of assessing the organization's needs in terms of systems and creating plans to address these needs. These systems are usually related to the production or manufacturing of company products. Systems engineers create end-to-end processes that ensure efficiency and effectiveness. They make sure that the processes they put in place adhere to safety and security policies and guidelines. They also do routine checks and continuously find ways to further improve production and other systems.
Enterprise systems administrators and systems engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Enterprise Systems Administrator | Systems Engineer | |
| Average salary | $89,075 | $82,834 |
| Salary range | Between $63,000 And $124,000 | Between $62,000 And $109,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Adobe | The Citadel |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Automotive |
There are a few differences between an enterprise systems administrator and a systems engineer in terms of educational background:
| Enterprise Systems Administrator | Systems Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Most common major | Business | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Stanford University | California State University - Long Beach |
Here are the differences between enterprise systems administrators' and systems engineers' demographics:
| Enterprise Systems Administrator | Systems Engineer | |
| Average age | 43 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 84.3% Female, 15.7% | Male, 86.1% Female, 13.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.2% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.8% Asian, 9.5% White, 63.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 4.7% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 8.4% Asian, 29.7% White, 52.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 8% |