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The differences between network infrastructure engineers and data center 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 infrastructure engineer and a data center engineer. Additionally, a data center engineer has an average salary of $102,788, which is higher than the $82,895 average annual salary of a network infrastructure engineer.
The top three skills for a network infrastructure engineer include network infrastructure, switches and cloud. The most important skills for a data center engineer are data centers, troubleshoot, and HVAC.
| Network Infrastructure Engineer | Data Center Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $82,895 | $102,788 |
| Hourly rate | $39.85 | $49.42 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 67,606 | 178,277 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 59% |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A network infrastructure engineer designs, deploy, and secures the network of the organization. In this position, you will be required to perform site surveys and audits, ensure the company's network site meets set standards, ensure the networks function with minimum downtime, come up with strategies that help minimize operational costs, and helps the organization streamline the operations by ensuring the different systems work effectively.
A data center engineer is responsible for managing the efficiency and optimal performance of the network data systems of an organization. Data center engineers ensure the safety and security of the database to prevent unauthorized access and suspicious activities within the network that may pose risks for the business. They assess the navigation of the servers, conduct regular maintenance, and perform immediate troubleshooting for glitches to avoid any delays in the operation. A data center engineer must have excellent communication and technical skills, especially in writing data resolution for reference and configuration.
Network infrastructure engineers and data center engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Network Infrastructure Engineer | Data Center Engineer | |
| Average salary | $82,895 | $102,788 |
| Salary range | Between $57,000 And $119,000 | Between $71,000 And $147,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a network infrastructure engineer and a data center engineer in terms of educational background:
| Network Infrastructure Engineer | Data Center Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 59% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between network infrastructure engineers' and data center engineers' demographics:
| Network Infrastructure Engineer | Data Center Engineer | |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 92.4% Female, 7.6% | Male, 94.2% Female, 5.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.7% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.4% Asian, 12.0% White, 61.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 8.6% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.3% Asian, 11.0% White, 62.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 9% |