Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between infrastructure technicians and senior 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 a senior infrastructure engineer. Additionally, a senior infrastructure engineer has an average salary of $117,765, 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 a senior infrastructure engineer are cloud, AWS, 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.
A senior infrastructure engineer specializes in designing and developing systems and infrastructures based on client preferences and industry standards. They have the duty to identify and understand the project's needs, streamline project requirements, produce drafts, create prototypes and models, and establish tests to identify potential issues and ensure the projects' quality. Additionally, a senior infrastructure engineer has the authority to make decisions, train and supervise junior engineers, establish goals and timelines, provide technical support, and implement policies and guidelines.
Infrastructure technicians and senior infrastructure engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Infrastructure Technician | Senior Infrastructure Engineer | |
| Average salary | $96,543 | $117,765 |
| Salary range | Between $62,000 And $148,000 | Between $87,000 And $158,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | Washington |
| Best paying company | Yelp | Meta |
| Best paying industry | - | Hospitality |
There are a few differences between an infrastructure technician and a senior infrastructure engineer in terms of educational background:
| Infrastructure Technician | Senior Infrastructure Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 49% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Most common major | Computer Information Systems | Computer Science |
| Most common college | - | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between infrastructure technicians' and senior infrastructure engineers' demographics:
| Infrastructure Technician | Senior Infrastructure Engineer | |
| Average age | 42 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 91.0% Female, 9.0% | Male, 75.3% Female, 24.7% |
| 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, 8.6% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.3% Asian, 10.7% White, 62.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 9% |