Network contractor vs senior network engineer

The differences between network contractors and senior 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 network contractor and a senior network engineer. Additionally, a senior network engineer has an average salary of $111,707, which is higher than the $55,845 average annual salary of a network contractor.

The top three skills for a network contractor include customer service, service calls and provider network. The most important skills for a senior network engineer are switches, BGP, and OSPF.

Network contractor vs senior network engineer overview

	Network Contractor	Senior Network Engineer
Yearly salary	$55,845	$111,707
Hourly rate	$26.85	$53.71
Growth rate	5%	5%
Number of jobs	45,116	35,428
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 53%	Bachelor's Degree, 65%
Average age	43	43
Years of experience	2	2

What does a network contractor do?

Network contractors are information technology (IT) professionals who accept contracts from clients to provide materials and labor to perform tasks related to installing and maintaining network systems. These contractors must coordinate network security systems to deliver the efficiency of their clients' network systems. They must develop and maintain business relationships with providers to ensure proper network composition. They need to provide end-user training on network systems to maximize operator efficiency and increase speed. Network contractors should also assist their clients in the operation, restoration, and configuration of computer systems.

What does a senior network engineer do?

A senior network engineer is responsible for managing the organization's network infrastructure, handling advanced network issues, upgrading the system's design for optimization, configuring network features, and ensuring the network's highest security measures to avoid unauthorized access and suspicious activities. Senior network engineers work with network architects to implement network designs, run diagnostic tests, and create network solution reports for review and recovery reference. A senior network engineer must have excellent communication and organization skills and broad knowledge of the technology industry, programming languages, and system codes.

Network contractor vs senior network engineer salary

Network contractors and senior network engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Network Contractor	Senior Network Engineer
Average salary	$55,845	$111,707
Salary range	Between $39,000 And $79,000	Between $85,000 And $145,000
Highest paying City	-	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	-	Washington
Best paying company	-	The Citadel
Best paying industry	-	Finance

Differences between network contractor and senior network engineer education

There are a few differences between a network contractor and a senior network engineer in terms of educational background:

	Network Contractor	Senior Network Engineer
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 53%	Bachelor's Degree, 65%
Most common major	Business	Electrical Engineering
Most common college	Stanford University	-

Network contractor vs senior network engineer demographics

Here are the differences between network contractors' and senior network engineers' demographics:

	Network Contractor	Senior Network Engineer
Average age	43	43
Gender ratio	Male, 75.5% Female, 24.5%	Male, 93.2% Female, 6.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.2% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.9% Asian, 8.7% White, 63.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%	Black or African American, 8.2% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.9% Asian, 13.5% White, 61.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between network contractor and senior network engineer duties and responsibilities

Network contractor example responsibilities.

Manage various common Linux server and web applications.
Experience managing the day-to-day operations of telecommunication services utilize by Astra Zeneca.
Segment LAN network using TCP/IP with VLAN configuration.
Provide desktop support to users ranging from OS and application installation and system deployment on network PCs.
Replace POS components at Wal-Mart locations.
Create client to home VPN server using firewall.

Senior network engineer example responsibilities.

Manage check point firewall logs using check point tracker and splunk.
Manage network / systems security, implement policies, processes PCI, HIPAA compliance.
Manage the SAN base storage environment consisting of EMC CX3-80's and CX700's.
Design and build Cisco Meraki cloud manage firewall, switch, and wireless access points for new facility of marketing firm.
Manage network security processes using ASA firewalls.
Manage, operate and analyze results from Sourcefire detection systems.

Network contractor vs senior network engineer skills

Common network contractor skills

Customer Service, 54%
Service Calls, 28%
Provider Network, 5%
Medicaid, 4%
Network Composition, 3%
Contract Templates, 2%

Common senior network engineer skills

Switches, 7%
BGP, 5%
OSPF, 5%
Troubleshoot, 5%
Network Infrastructure, 4%
Lan Wan, 4%

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Network Contractor vs Senior Network Engineer

Updated January 8, 2025

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