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The differences between infrastructure engineers and structures 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 structures engineer takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, an infrastructure engineer has an average salary of $106,438, which is higher than the $73,391 average annual salary of a structures engineer.
The top three skills for an infrastructure engineer include python, cloud and linux. The most important skills for a structures engineer are structural analysis, revit, and RISA.
| Infrastructure Engineer | Structures Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $106,438 | $73,391 |
| Hourly rate | $51.17 | $35.28 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 7% |
| Number of jobs | 91,845 | 20,778 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Average age | 43 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 6 |
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 structures engineer works in designing, planning, and overseeing the development of the latest buildings and bridges or modifications and extensions to an existing property or other structures. They are mainly concerned with the safety and capability of the structure to withstand the elements to which they will be exposed--also improving the existing building structural integrity. Part of the task is inspecting properties regarding the conditions/foundation and checking work undertaken by contractors. The job is very similarly related to a civil engineer.
Infrastructure engineers and structures engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Infrastructure Engineer | Structures Engineer | |
| Average salary | $106,438 | $73,391 |
| Salary range | Between $76,000 And $148,000 | Between $54,000 And $98,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Credit Karma | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Retail | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between an infrastructure engineer and a structures engineer in terms of educational background:
| Infrastructure Engineer | Structures Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Civil Engineering |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Carnegie Mellon University |
Here are the differences between infrastructure engineers' and structures engineers' demographics:
| Infrastructure Engineer | Structures Engineer | |
| Average age | 43 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 92.2% Female, 7.8% | Male, 84.9% Female, 15.1% |
| 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, 3.5% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 10.3% Asian, 17.3% White, 64.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 5% |