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The differences between infrastructure technicians and infrastructure engineers 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 technician and an infrastructure engineer. Additionally, an infrastructure engineer has an average salary of $106,438, which is higher than the $96,543 average annual salary of an infrastructure technician.
The top three skills for an infrastructure technician include troubleshoot, structured cabling and technical support. The most important skills for an infrastructure engineer are python, cloud, and linux.
In the information technology (IT) industry, an infrastructure technician is an IT expert responsible for the maintenance and installation of computer systems and networks. They are also responsible for addressing issues and concerns, troubleshooting problems, performing adjustments and modifications, developing test structures, eliminating bugs, and maintaining documentation. There are also instances where they participate in designing and developing network software and hardware, liaising with clients, and overseeing IT operations. Moreover, an infrastructure technician must provide technical support and guidance to staff, all while enforcing the security and quality standards of the company.
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.
Infrastructure technicians and infrastructure engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Infrastructure Technician | Infrastructure Engineer | |
| Average salary | $96,543 | $106,438 |
| Salary range | Between $62,000 And $148,000 | Between $76,000 And $148,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | California |
| Best paying company | Yelp | Credit Karma |
| Best paying industry | - | Retail |
There are a few differences between an infrastructure technician and an infrastructure engineer in terms of educational background:
| Infrastructure Technician | Infrastructure Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 49% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Most common major | Computer Information Systems | Computer Science |
| Most common college | - | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between infrastructure technicians' and infrastructure engineers' demographics:
| Infrastructure Technician | Infrastructure Engineer | |
| Average age | 42 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 91.0% Female, 9.0% | Male, 92.2% Female, 7.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.2% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.3% Asian, 10.6% White, 57.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | 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% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 9% |