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The differences between network consultants and network 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 network consultant and a network support engineer. Additionally, a network consultant has an average salary of $89,303, which is higher than the $86,406 average annual salary of a network support engineer.
The top three skills for a network consultant include appeals, firewall and windows server. The most important skills for a network support engineer are switches, network support, and OSPF.
| Network Consultant | Network Support Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $89,303 | $86,406 |
| Hourly rate | $42.93 | $41.54 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 58,194 | 113,476 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
Network consultants are information technology (IT) professionals who are responsible for designing, setting up, and maintaining computer networks for an organization or at a client location. These consultants are required to meet with the manager of an organization and network engineers to discuss their networking requirements. By supervising a team of IT professionals, these consultants must administer technical issues and fix infrastructure issues onsite. Network consultants must also maintain documentation for IT infrastructure as well as coordinate network documentation with account managers.
A network support engineer is an information technology expert who designs and develops computer systems, ensuring efficiency and smooth workflow. Among their responsibilities include performing installations and upgrades, configuring networks, troubleshooting issues, gathering and analyzing data to identify areas needing improvement, and recommending strategies to optimize network operations. They must also provide technical support to staff, address issues and concerns, conduct inspections, and perform repairs. Moreover, a network support engineer must regularly monitor networks while implementing the company's security and safety standards.
Network consultants and network support engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Network Consultant | Network Support Engineer | |
| Average salary | $89,303 | $86,406 |
| Salary range | Between $60,000 And $132,000 | Between $66,000 And $112,000 |
| Highest paying City | Mountain View, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Dell | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Technology |
There are a few differences between a network consultant and a network support engineer in terms of educational background:
| Network Consultant | Network Support Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Stanford University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between network consultants' and network support engineers' demographics:
| Network Consultant | Network Support Engineer | |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 87.0% Female, 13.0% | Male, 89.2% Female, 10.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.0% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.7% Asian, 11.3% White, 61.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 8.0% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.7% Asian, 13.9% White, 61.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 9% |