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The differences between junior network administrators and technical support engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a junior network administrator and a technical support engineer. Additionally, a technical support engineer has an average salary of $85,716, which is higher than the $51,121 average annual salary of a junior network administrator.
The top three skills for a junior network administrator include windows server, troubleshoot and network hardware. The most important skills for a technical support engineer are technical support, customer service, and troubleshoot.
| Junior Network Administrator | Technical Support Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $51,121 | $85,716 |
| Hourly rate | $24.58 | $41.21 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 121,498 | 184,542 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 51% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Average age | 43 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
Junior network administrators are entry-level information technology (IT) professionals who are responsible for assisting senior administrators to establish and set up new computer networks for an organization. These junior administrators are required to monitor computer networks while providing network security to avoid any suspected activities on the computer network systems. They are in charge of purchasing computer components and software that are needed for the daily operations of the organization. Junior network administrators must also educate their non-network employees so that they can properly use computers and perform timely maintenance.
A technical support engineer is responsible for responding to customer issues, providing immediate resolutions to their system issues through remote assistance. Technical support engineers must have strong knowledge of software and hardware applications to diagnose system defects and process troubleshooting. They also assist customers with the installation of programs and updates to improve system performance, escalating high-level concerns to appropriate internal technology teams. A technical support engineer must have strong command with technical systems, as well as excellent communication and time-management skills to understand clients' issues while documenting procedures.
Junior network administrators and technical support engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Junior Network Administrator | Technical Support Engineer | |
| Average salary | $51,121 | $85,716 |
| Salary range | Between $39,000 And $66,000 | Between $61,000 And $119,000 |
| Highest paying City | Costa Mesa, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | Washington |
| Best paying company | Exegy | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Technology |
There are a few differences between a junior network administrator and a technical support engineer in terms of educational background:
| Junior Network Administrator | Technical Support Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 51% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Most common major | Computer Information Systems | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Carnegie Mellon University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between junior network administrators' and technical support engineers' demographics:
| Junior Network Administrator | Technical Support Engineer | |
| Average age | 43 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 87.7% Female, 12.3% | Male, 83.3% Female, 16.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.8% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.5% Asian, 11.3% White, 62.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 9.8% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.1% Asian, 15.0% White, 54.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 11% |