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The differences between network designers 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 designer and a network support engineer. Additionally, a network support engineer has an average salary of $86,406, 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 support engineer are switches, network support, and OSPF.
| Network Designer | Network Support Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $84,818 | $86,406 |
| Hourly rate | $40.78 | $41.54 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 66,415 | 113,476 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 57% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| 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 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 designers and network support engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Network Designer | Network Support Engineer | |
| Average salary | $84,818 | $86,406 |
| Salary range | Between $62,000 And $115,000 | Between $66,000 And $112,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Connecticut | California |
| Best paying company | AT&T | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Telecommunication | Technology |
There are a few differences between a network designer and a network support engineer in terms of educational background:
| Network Designer | Network Support Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 57% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between network designers' and network support engineers' demographics:
| Network Designer | 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, 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% |