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The differences between network infrastructure engineers and network technicians 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 network technician. Additionally, a network infrastructure engineer has an average salary of $82,895, which is higher than the $68,938 average annual salary of a network technician.
The top three skills for a network infrastructure engineer include network infrastructure, switches and cloud. The most important skills for a network technician are customer service, switches, and troubleshoot.
| Network Infrastructure Engineer | Network Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $82,895 | $68,938 |
| Hourly rate | $39.85 | $33.14 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 67,606 | 79,712 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 50% |
| 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 network technician is responsible for system malfunction diagnosis and troubleshooting operations. Network technicians duties' include repairing damaged system components, analyzing computer systems and blueprints, installing network connections, and upgrading accessories for efficient operations. Other duties include assisting customers with technical issues, ensuring computer systems' privacy, creating documents of network issues and resolutions, and suggesting alternative equipment for network backups. A network technician must have a broad knowledge of the technology industry and mechanical processes, plus the ability to work under pressure with minimal supervision.
Network infrastructure engineers and network technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Network Infrastructure Engineer | Network Technician | |
| Average salary | $82,895 | $68,938 |
| Salary range | Between $57,000 And $119,000 | Between $51,000 And $92,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Urban Honolulu, HI |
| Highest paying state | California | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | Meta | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Finance |
There are a few differences between a network infrastructure engineer and a network technician in terms of educational background:
| Network Infrastructure Engineer | Network Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 50% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between network infrastructure engineers' and network technicians' demographics:
| Network Infrastructure Engineer | Network Technician | |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 92.4% Female, 7.6% | Male, 87.3% Female, 12.7% |
| 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, 8.9% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.6% Asian, 9.4% White, 63.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 9% |