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The differences between infrastructure engineers and systems 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 systems administrator. Additionally, an infrastructure engineer has an average salary of $106,438, which is higher than the $77,156 average annual salary of a systems administrator.
The top three skills for an infrastructure engineer include python, cloud and linux. The most important skills for a systems administrator are linux, troubleshoot, and windows server.
| Infrastructure Engineer | Systems Administrator | |
| Yearly salary | $106,438 | $77,156 |
| Hourly rate | $51.17 | $37.09 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 91,845 | 134,500 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| 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.
Systems administrators are employees who oversee information technology infrastructures in the office. They are skilled information technology professionals who are knowledgeable about the company's network systems and other technology-related infrastructures. They are responsible for installing, configuring, or updating network systems, software, and hardware. They also monitor the different systems and troubleshoot any issues that users may encounter. Systems administrators manage the access of users, ensure the security of the network, and address any challenges that users may have. They conduct repairs and routine maintenance to ensure that the systems in place are in the best shape.
Infrastructure engineers and systems administrators have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Infrastructure Engineer | Systems Administrator | |
| Average salary | $106,438 | $77,156 |
| Salary range | Between $76,000 And $148,000 | Between $59,000 And $100,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Credit Karma | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Retail | Technology |
There are a few differences between an infrastructure engineer and a systems administrator in terms of educational background:
| Infrastructure Engineer | Systems Administrator | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| 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 systems administrators' demographics:
| Infrastructure Engineer | Systems Administrator | |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 92.2% Female, 7.8% | Male, 83.9% Female, 16.1% |
| 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, 8.6% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.3% Asian, 11.5% White, 62.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 9% |