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The differences between firewall engineers and network security engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a firewall engineer and a network security engineer. Additionally, a firewall engineer has an average salary of $99,357, which is higher than the $88,322 average annual salary of a network security engineer.
The top three skills for a firewall engineer include network security, cisco asa and azure. The most important skills for a network security engineer are network security, windows, and cisco asa.
| Firewall Engineer | Network Security Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $99,357 | $88,322 |
| Hourly rate | $47.77 | $42.46 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 39,291 | 91,892 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A firewall engineer is concerned about the safety and security of company websites from online attacks. A firewall is a safety measure to help protect the company's information infrastructure or business connected to the internet. The firewall engineer creates, develops, and maintains the company's online security and regularly checks websites for breaches, flaws in the code, and other technical things required to protect a company from outside internet attacks and hacking.
A network security engineer is responsible for maintaining the safety and security of all the organization's network systems, conducting regular configuration and maintenance to avoid unauthorized access and suspicious activities that may pose risks for the company's integrity. Network security engineers manage security threats and strategize resolutions to mitigate the reoccurrence of security issues. They also develop security enhancement recommendations, update network infrastructure, and monitor system activities. A network security engineer should have excellent communication and technical skills, as well as a strong command of programming languages and system codes.
Firewall engineers and network security engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Firewall Engineer | Network Security Engineer | |
| Average salary | $99,357 | $88,322 |
| Salary range | Between $76,000 And $128,000 | Between $64,000 And $120,000 |
| Highest paying City | Santa Clara, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Palo Alto Networks | The Knot |
| Best paying industry | Start-up | Retail |
There are a few differences between a firewall engineer and a network security engineer in terms of educational background:
| Firewall Engineer | Network Security Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between firewall engineers' and network security engineers' demographics:
| Firewall Engineer | Network Security Engineer | |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 93.4% Female, 6.6% | Male, 90.7% Female, 9.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.0% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.7% Asian, 13.9% White, 61.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 8.0% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.7% Asian, 13.9% White, 61.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 9% |