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The differences between lead infrastructure engineers and systems administrators 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 systems administrator. Additionally, a lead infrastructure engineer has an average salary of $120,774, which is higher than the $77,156 average annual salary of a systems administrator.
The top three skills for a lead infrastructure engineer include java, cloud and architecture. The most important skills for a systems administrator are linux, troubleshoot, and windows server.
| Lead Infrastructure Engineer | Systems Administrator | |
| Yearly salary | $120,774 | $77,156 |
| Hourly rate | $58.06 | $37.09 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 89,949 | 134,500 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| 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.
Systems administrators are employees who oversee information technology infrastructures in the office. They are skilled information technology professionals who are knowledgeable about the company's network systems and other technology-related infrastructures. They are responsible for installing, configuring, or updating network systems, software, and hardware. They also monitor the different systems and troubleshoot any issues that users may encounter. Systems administrators manage the access of users, ensure the security of the network, and address any challenges that users may have. They conduct repairs and routine maintenance to ensure that the systems in place are in the best shape.
Lead infrastructure engineers and systems administrators have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Lead Infrastructure Engineer | Systems Administrator | |
| Average salary | $120,774 | $77,156 |
| Salary range | Between $91,000 And $160,000 | Between $59,000 And $100,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Idaho | California |
| Best paying company | Apple | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Technology |
There are a few differences between a lead infrastructure engineer and a systems administrator in terms of educational background:
| Lead Infrastructure Engineer | Systems Administrator | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between lead infrastructure engineers' and systems administrators' demographics:
| Lead Infrastructure Engineer | Systems Administrator | |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 94.1% Female, 5.9% | Male, 83.9% Female, 16.1% |
| 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, 8.6% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.3% Asian, 11.5% White, 62.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 9% |