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The differences between infrastructure engineers and senior system administrators 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 system administrator. Additionally, an infrastructure engineer has an average salary of $106,438, which is higher than the $98,146 average annual salary of a senior system administrator.
The top three skills for an infrastructure engineer include python, cloud and linux. The most important skills for a senior system administrator are linux, windows server, and troubleshoot.
| Infrastructure Engineer | Senior System Administrator | |
| Yearly salary | $106,438 | $98,146 |
| Hourly rate | $51.17 | $47.19 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 91,845 | 100,873 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 62% |
| 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 system administrator specializes in overseeing the computer system operations in an organization. Their responsibilities primarily revolve around monitoring the performance of all software and hardware, installing servers, configuring systems, and making sure every technical aspect is running smoothly. Should there be any issues, they must take charge of troubleshooting and providing solutions. As someone with more experience, a senior system administrator leads and evaluates the performances of fellow skilled professionals in the department, all while adhering to the company's policies and regulations.
Infrastructure engineers and senior system administrators have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Infrastructure Engineer | Senior System Administrator | |
| Average salary | $106,438 | $98,146 |
| Salary range | Between $76,000 And $148,000 | Between $75,000 And $126,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Credit Karma | Cambridge Associates |
| Best paying industry | Retail | Finance |
There are a few differences between an infrastructure engineer and a senior system administrator in terms of educational background:
| Infrastructure Engineer | Senior System Administrator | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 62% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between infrastructure engineers' and senior system administrators' demographics:
| Infrastructure Engineer | Senior System Administrator | |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 92.2% Female, 7.8% | Male, 89.0% Female, 11.0% |
| 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, 8.9% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.6% Asian, 11.8% White, 61.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 9% |