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The differences between network infrastructure engineers and systems 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 systems engineer. Additionally, a network infrastructure engineer has an average salary of $82,895, which is higher than the $82,834 average annual salary of a systems engineer.
The top three skills for a network infrastructure engineer include network infrastructure, switches and cloud. The most important skills for a systems engineer are python, linux, and C++.
| Network Infrastructure Engineer | Systems Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $82,895 | $82,834 |
| Hourly rate | $39.85 | $39.82 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 21% |
| Number of jobs | 67,606 | 145,936 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Average age | 43 | 39 |
| 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.
Systems engineers are responsible for creating and overseeing systems related to the overall operations of the organization. They are in charge of assessing the organization's needs in terms of systems and creating plans to address these needs. These systems are usually related to the production or manufacturing of company products. Systems engineers create end-to-end processes that ensure efficiency and effectiveness. They make sure that the processes they put in place adhere to safety and security policies and guidelines. They also do routine checks and continuously find ways to further improve production and other systems.
Network infrastructure engineers and systems engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Network Infrastructure Engineer | Systems Engineer | |
| Average salary | $82,895 | $82,834 |
| Salary range | Between $57,000 And $119,000 | Between $62,000 And $109,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | The Citadel |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Automotive |
There are a few differences between a network infrastructure engineer and a systems engineer in terms of educational background:
| Network Infrastructure Engineer | Systems Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | California State University - Long Beach |
Here are the differences between network infrastructure engineers' and systems engineers' demographics:
| Network Infrastructure Engineer | Systems Engineer | |
| Average age | 43 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 92.4% Female, 7.6% | Male, 86.1% Female, 13.9% |
| 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, 4.7% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 8.4% Asian, 29.7% White, 52.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 8% |