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The differences between infrastructure engineers and software engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become an infrastructure engineer, becoming a software engineer takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, an infrastructure engineer has an average salary of $106,438, which is higher than the $100,260 average annual salary of a software engineer.
The top three skills for an infrastructure engineer include python, cloud and linux. The most important skills for a software engineer are java, python, and software development.
| Infrastructure Engineer | Software Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $106,438 | $100,260 |
| Hourly rate | $51.17 | $48.20 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 21% |
| Number of jobs | 91,845 | 339,938 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 3.5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Average age | 43 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 4 |
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 software engineer is a computer science professional who is responsible for the development of information systems, designing and building computer systems software and applications software. They often prefer to call themselves as a software developer or computer programmer. They have substantial knowledge of programming languages, software development, and computer operating systems, and other technologies. They use these to turn a plan into a final output. They can create a design, test, and develop software based on the needs of their clients.
Infrastructure engineers and software engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Infrastructure Engineer | Software Engineer | |
| Average salary | $106,438 | $100,260 |
| Salary range | Between $76,000 And $148,000 | Between $73,000 And $136,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Bruno, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Credit Karma | The Citadel |
| Best paying industry | Retail | Start-up |
There are a few differences between an infrastructure engineer and a software engineer in terms of educational background:
| Infrastructure Engineer | Software Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Harvard University |
Here are the differences between infrastructure engineers' and software engineers' demographics:
| Infrastructure Engineer | Software Engineer | |
| Average age | 43 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 92.2% Female, 7.8% | Male, 78.0% Female, 22.0% |
| 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, 4.4% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 8.1% Asian, 34.0% White, 48.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 8% |