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The differences between infrastructure systems 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 systems engineer, becoming a software engineer takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, an infrastructure systems engineer has an average salary of $110,556, which is higher than the $100,260 average annual salary of a software engineer.
The top three skills for an infrastructure systems engineer include cloud, linux and troubleshoot. The most important skills for a software engineer are java, python, and software development.
| Infrastructure Systems Engineer | Software Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $110,556 | $100,260 |
| Hourly rate | $53.15 | $48.20 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 21% |
| Number of jobs | 133,481 | 339,938 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 3.5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Average age | 43 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 4 |
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 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 systems engineers and software engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Infrastructure Systems Engineer | Software Engineer | |
| Average salary | $110,556 | $100,260 |
| Salary range | Between $82,000 And $147,000 | Between $73,000 And $136,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Bruno, CA |
| Highest paying state | Rhode Island | California |
| Best paying company | The Walt Disney Company | The Citadel |
| Best paying industry | Insurance | Start-up |
There are a few differences between an infrastructure systems engineer and a software engineer in terms of educational background:
| Infrastructure Systems Engineer | Software Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | 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 systems engineers' and software engineers' demographics:
| Infrastructure Systems Engineer | Software Engineer | |
| Average age | 43 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 90.0% Female, 10.0% | Male, 78.0% Female, 22.0% |
| 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, 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% |