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The differences between information systems engineers and information systems specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both an information systems engineer and an information systems specialist. Additionally, an information systems engineer has an average salary of $104,903, which is higher than the $73,495 average annual salary of an information systems specialist.
The top three skills for an information systems engineer include system security, NIST and RMF. The most important skills for an information systems specialist are customer service, data analysis, and data entry.
| Information Systems Engineer | Information Systems Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $104,903 | $73,495 |
| Hourly rate | $50.43 | $35.33 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 248,183 | 164,042 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| Average age | 43 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
An information systems engineer is responsible for designing and creating network systems and databases to process information that would support business functions and operations. Information systems engineers maintain the stability and navigation of networks to ensure their security and prevent unauthorized access and illegal data dissemination. They may also modify the features and improve the infrastructure of the existing database for optimization. An information systems engineer must have excellent technical skills, as well as a strong command of programming languages to write codes and test controls.
An Information Systems Specialist is responsible for supporting and developing the database system of an organization. They are responsible for designing and implementing information systems, developing prototypes, and maintaining hardware and software operations. They build information security to protect the computer system against a threat. Information System Specialists must have good communication and analytical skills to adapt to different organizational needs.
Information systems engineers and information systems specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Information Systems Engineer | Information Systems Specialist | |
| Average salary | $104,903 | $73,495 |
| Salary range | Between $78,000 And $139,000 | Between $51,000 And $104,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | California | Kentucky |
| Best paying company | Safeway | |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between an information systems engineer and an information systems specialist in terms of educational background:
| Information Systems Engineer | Information Systems Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between information systems engineers' and information systems specialists' demographics:
| Information Systems Engineer | Information Systems Specialist | |
| Average age | 43 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 81.5% Female, 18.5% | Male, 68.9% Female, 31.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.6% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.3% Asian, 12.4% White, 61.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 11.7% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 15.8% Asian, 10.7% White, 56.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 11% |