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The differences between infrastructure 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 an infrastructure engineer and a senior infrastructure engineer. Additionally, a senior infrastructure engineer has an average salary of $117,765, which is higher than the $106,438 average annual salary of an infrastructure engineer.
The top three skills for an infrastructure engineer include python, cloud and linux. The most important skills for a senior infrastructure engineer are cloud, AWS, and linux.
| Infrastructure Engineer | Senior Infrastructure Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $106,438 | $117,765 |
| Hourly rate | $51.17 | $56.62 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 91,845 | 78,855 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
As an infrastructure engineer, they're responsible for designing, deploying, and maintaining the IT infrastructure using the newest technology and ensure all the systems within an organization function seamlessly. They ensure all the IT systems are updated to support the business to function effectively. It is also their job to maintain internet connections, cabling, virtualization platforms, and storage area networks. Moreover, they oversee the IT infrastructure engineer system administration middleware application servers, like Oracle Weblogic server, IBM WebSphere server, and automated workflow tools.
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.
Infrastructure engineers and senior infrastructure engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Infrastructure Engineer | Senior Infrastructure Engineer | |
| Average salary | $106,438 | $117,765 |
| Salary range | Between $76,000 And $148,000 | Between $87,000 And $158,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Washington |
| Best paying company | Credit Karma | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Retail | Hospitality |
There are a few differences between an infrastructure engineer and a senior infrastructure engineer in terms of educational background:
| Infrastructure Engineer | Senior Infrastructure Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between infrastructure engineers' and senior infrastructure engineers' demographics:
| Infrastructure Engineer | Senior Infrastructure Engineer | |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 92.2% Female, 7.8% | Male, 75.3% Female, 24.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.3% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 12.0% Asian, 13.0% White, 61.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | 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 | 9% | 9% |