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The differences between infrastructure systems 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 systems engineer and a senior system administrator. Additionally, an infrastructure systems engineer has an average salary of $110,556, which is higher than the $98,146 average annual salary of a senior system administrator.
The top three skills for an infrastructure systems engineer include cloud, linux and troubleshoot. The most important skills for a senior system administrator are linux, windows server, and troubleshoot.
| Infrastructure Systems Engineer | Senior System Administrator | |
| Yearly salary | $110,556 | $98,146 |
| Hourly rate | $53.15 | $47.19 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 133,481 | 100,873 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 62% |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
Infrastructure systems engineers are information technology (IT) professionals who design, coordinate, and maintain the IT infrastructure using the latest technology to ensure all the IT systems of an organization are functioning efficiently. These engineers are required to improve collaboration and work sharing by implementing a cloud-backed file system. They must train and mentor other employees about the system functionality and perform troubleshoot when issues arise in the system. Infrastructure systems engineers must also eliminate interruptions for wireless users during upgrades by installing disaster recovery servers.
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 systems engineers and senior system administrators have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Infrastructure Systems Engineer | Senior System Administrator | |
| Average salary | $110,556 | $98,146 |
| Salary range | Between $82,000 And $147,000 | Between $75,000 And $126,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Rhode Island | California |
| Best paying company | The Walt Disney Company | Cambridge Associates |
| Best paying industry | Insurance | Finance |
There are a few differences between an infrastructure systems engineer and a senior system administrator in terms of educational background:
| Infrastructure Systems Engineer | Senior System Administrator | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | 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 systems engineers' and senior system administrators' demographics:
| Infrastructure Systems Engineer | Senior System Administrator | |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 90.0% Female, 10.0% | Male, 89.0% Female, 11.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.0% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.7% Asian, 13.9% White, 61.1% 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% |