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The differences between infrastructure engineers and solutions architects can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a solutions architect has an average salary of $116,327, 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 solutions architect are cloud, java, and AWS.
| Infrastructure Engineer | Solutions Architect | |
| Yearly salary | $106,438 | $116,327 |
| Hourly rate | $51.17 | $55.93 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 91,845 | 107,754 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4.5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Average age | 43 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 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 solutions architect specializes in creating and implementing software systems that improve business operations and resolve network issues. They are primarily responsible for conducting research and analysis to assess the business's needs, develop specific designs for the company, provide solutions should there be any system issues, and keep company officials informed with all changes and updates. Furthermore, a solutions architect must lead and encourage development teams, stay up to date with the newest trends to continue innovations within the systems, and implement its policies and guidelines.
Infrastructure engineers and solutions architects have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Infrastructure Engineer | Solutions Architect | |
| Average salary | $106,438 | $116,327 |
| Salary range | Between $76,000 And $148,000 | Between $87,000 And $154,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Credit Karma | Airbnb |
| Best paying industry | Retail | Retail |
There are a few differences between an infrastructure engineer and a solutions architect in terms of educational background:
| Infrastructure Engineer | Solutions Architect | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| 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 solutions architects' demographics:
| Infrastructure Engineer | Solutions Architect | |
| Average age | 43 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 92.2% Female, 7.8% | Male, 86.6% Female, 13.4% |
| 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, 6.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 8.8% Asian, 12.0% White, 67.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 11% |