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The differences between network designers and 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 network designer and an administrator. Additionally, a network designer has an average salary of $84,818, which is higher than the $72,882 average annual salary of an administrator.
The top three skills for a network designer include network design, PC and OSPF. The most important skills for an administrator are customer service, data entry, and troubleshoot.
| Network Designer | Administrator | |
| Yearly salary | $84,818 | $72,882 |
| Hourly rate | $40.78 | $35.04 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 66,415 | 67,553 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 57% | Bachelor's Degree, 56% |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
Network designers are the people in an organization who assess a company's network requirements and design a network that meets the needs. The responsibilities of this position are designing and submitting plans for the network to management, making updates and upgrading the software and hardware where needed, incorporating security features into the design, configuring multiple types of connections, e.g., printers, servers and supporting specialized services like specific point virtualization through cloud computing.
Administrators are administrative professionals who oversee the whole office or department. They manage office activities and supervise administrative functions in the office. They work the office calendar and oversee the appointment-setting process. They coordinate office events and ensure that all preparations are made and that there are no conflicting schedules. They also maintain a database of external providers of various office needs. Administrators also oversee office supplies and prepare purchase requisitions. They also manage janitorial services and other functions that are related to the maintenance of the physical office space. Administrators ensure that all fixtures and equipment in the office are functioning well and have no problems.
Network designers and administrators have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Network Designer | Administrator | |
| Average salary | $84,818 | $72,882 |
| Salary range | Between $62,000 And $115,000 | Between $46,000 And $113,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Connecticut | Washington |
| Best paying company | AT&T | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Telecommunication | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a network designer and an administrator in terms of educational background:
| Network Designer | Administrator | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 57% | Bachelor's Degree, 56% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between network designers' and administrators' demographics:
| Network Designer | Administrator | |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 87.0% Female, 13.0% | Male, 36.0% Female, 64.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.0% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.8% Asian, 13.7% White, 61.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 8.9% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.6% Asian, 8.8% White, 64.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 9% |