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The differences between network engineers and senior infrastructure 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 engineer and a senior infrastructure engineer. Additionally, a senior infrastructure engineer has an average salary of $117,765, which is higher than the $83,557 average annual salary of a network engineer.
The top three skills for a network engineer include switches, troubleshoot and network infrastructure. The most important skills for a senior infrastructure engineer are cloud, AWS, and linux.
| Network Engineer | Senior Infrastructure Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $83,557 | $117,765 |
| Hourly rate | $40.17 | $56.62 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 72,346 | 78,855 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A network engineer is responsible for managing a network system, monitoring its performance, and upgrading its features to optimize performance and boost efficiency. Network engineers also create new systems, designing them based on clients' specifications and business needs. They also check network defects, perform troubleshooting, improve data security systems, and install security updates. A network engineer must have excellent knowledge of the technology industry, as well as a broad understanding of system codes, programming languages, and network configurations.
A senior infrastructure engineer specializes in designing and developing systems and infrastructures based on client preferences and industry standards. They have the duty to identify and understand the project's needs, streamline project requirements, produce drafts, create prototypes and models, and establish tests to identify potential issues and ensure the projects' quality. Additionally, a senior infrastructure engineer has the authority to make decisions, train and supervise junior engineers, establish goals and timelines, provide technical support, and implement policies and guidelines.
Network engineers and senior infrastructure engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Network Engineer | Senior Infrastructure Engineer | |
| Average salary | $83,557 | $117,765 |
| Salary range | Between $62,000 And $111,000 | Between $87,000 And $158,000 |
| Highest paying City | Menlo Park, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Washington |
| Best paying company | The Citadel | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Hospitality |
There are a few differences between a network engineer and a senior infrastructure engineer in terms of educational background:
| Network Engineer | Senior Infrastructure Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Computer Science |
| Most common college | California State University - Long Beach | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between network engineers' and senior infrastructure engineers' demographics:
| Network Engineer | Senior Infrastructure Engineer | |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 90.6% Female, 9.4% | Male, 75.3% Female, 24.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 7.9% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.6% Asian, 13.7% White, 61.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 8.6% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.3% Asian, 10.7% White, 62.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 9% |