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The differences between lead infrastructure engineers and network 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 lead infrastructure engineer and a network engineer. Additionally, a lead infrastructure engineer has an average salary of $120,774, which is higher than the $83,557 average annual salary of a network engineer.
The top three skills for a lead infrastructure engineer include java, cloud and architecture. The most important skills for a network engineer are switches, troubleshoot, and network infrastructure.
| Lead Infrastructure Engineer | Network Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $120,774 | $83,557 |
| Hourly rate | $58.06 | $40.17 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 89,949 | 72,346 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 62% |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
An infrastructure engineer acts as the one responsible for ensuring that all project objectives can be obtained and implemented correctly. They are the one who monitors, reviews and evaluates the current system policy to determines or identify what needs to be removed or replaced. Often, an Infra Engineer checks the computer application like the Windows, Mac Operating System, and Linux that will allow them to analyze and examines what needs for changing or fixing.
A network engineer is responsible for managing a network system, monitoring its performance, and upgrading its features to optimize performance and boost efficiency. Network engineers also create new systems, designing them based on clients' specifications and business needs. They also check network defects, perform troubleshooting, improve data security systems, and install security updates. A network engineer must have excellent knowledge of the technology industry, as well as a broad understanding of system codes, programming languages, and network configurations.
Lead infrastructure engineers and network engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Lead Infrastructure Engineer | Network Engineer | |
| Average salary | $120,774 | $83,557 |
| Salary range | Between $91,000 And $160,000 | Between $62,000 And $111,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Menlo Park, CA |
| Highest paying state | Idaho | California |
| Best paying company | Apple | The Citadel |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Technology |
There are a few differences between a lead infrastructure engineer and a network engineer in terms of educational background:
| Lead Infrastructure Engineer | Network Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 62% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | California State University - Long Beach |
Here are the differences between lead infrastructure engineers' and network engineers' demographics:
| Lead Infrastructure Engineer | Network Engineer | |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 94.1% Female, 5.9% | Male, 90.6% Female, 9.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.0% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.7% Asian, 13.9% White, 61.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 7.9% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.6% Asian, 13.7% White, 61.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 9% |