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The differences between help desk engineers and senior infrastructure 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 help desk engineer and a senior infrastructure engineer. Additionally, a senior infrastructure engineer has an average salary of $117,765, which is higher than the $52,444 average annual salary of a help desk engineer.
The top three skills for a help desk engineer include troubleshoot, help-desk support and technical support. The most important skills for a senior infrastructure engineer are cloud, AWS, and linux.
| Help Desk Engineer | Senior Infrastructure Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $52,444 | $117,765 |
| Hourly rate | $25.21 | $56.62 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 100,003 | 78,855 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 51% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Average age | 42 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
Help desk engineers solve problems. They have the technical know-how and have the right troubleshooting tools. They are required to set up computer hardware and software for users and events. When individuals have a certain issue or problem relating to their computer, they bring it to the help desk engineer, who then analyzes and provides a solution. Furthermore, they attend to the issues registered by clients via emails, chats, instant messages, or phone calls.
A senior infrastructure engineer specializes in designing and developing systems and infrastructures based on client preferences and industry standards. They have the duty to identify and understand the project's needs, streamline project requirements, produce drafts, create prototypes and models, and establish tests to identify potential issues and ensure the projects' quality. Additionally, a senior infrastructure engineer has the authority to make decisions, train and supervise junior engineers, establish goals and timelines, provide technical support, and implement policies and guidelines.
Help desk engineers and senior infrastructure engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Help Desk Engineer | Senior Infrastructure Engineer | |
| Average salary | $52,444 | $117,765 |
| Salary range | Between $36,000 And $74,000 | Between $87,000 And $158,000 |
| Highest paying City | Radnor, PA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | Washington |
| Best paying company | Bain & Company | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Hospitality |
There are a few differences between a help desk engineer and a senior infrastructure engineer in terms of educational background:
| Help Desk Engineer | Senior Infrastructure Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 51% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Georgia Institute of Technology | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between help desk engineers' and senior infrastructure engineers' demographics:
| Help Desk Engineer | Senior Infrastructure Engineer | |
| Average age | 42 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 81.8% Female, 18.2% | Male, 75.3% Female, 24.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.8% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.6% Asian, 12.2% White, 54.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 8.6% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.3% Asian, 10.7% White, 62.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 9% |