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The differences between network designers and network security 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 designer and a network security engineer. Additionally, a network security engineer has an average salary of $88,322, which is higher than the $84,818 average annual salary of a network designer.
The top three skills for a network designer include network design, PC and OSPF. The most important skills for a network security engineer are network security, windows, and cisco asa.
| Network Designer | Network Security Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $84,818 | $88,322 |
| Hourly rate | $40.78 | $42.46 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 66,415 | 91,892 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 57% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| 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.
A network security engineer is responsible for maintaining the safety and security of all the organization's network systems, conducting regular configuration and maintenance to avoid unauthorized access and suspicious activities that may pose risks for the company's integrity. Network security engineers manage security threats and strategize resolutions to mitigate the reoccurrence of security issues. They also develop security enhancement recommendations, update network infrastructure, and monitor system activities. A network security engineer should have excellent communication and technical skills, as well as a strong command of programming languages and system codes.
Network designers and network security engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Network Designer | Network Security Engineer | |
| Average salary | $84,818 | $88,322 |
| Salary range | Between $62,000 And $115,000 | Between $64,000 And $120,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Connecticut | California |
| Best paying company | AT&T | The Knot |
| Best paying industry | Telecommunication | Retail |
There are a few differences between a network designer and a network security engineer in terms of educational background:
| Network Designer | Network Security Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 57% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Computer Science |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between network designers' and network security engineers' demographics:
| Network Designer | Network Security Engineer | |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 87.0% Female, 13.0% | Male, 90.7% Female, 9.3% |
| 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, 8.0% 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% |