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The differences between network operators and network consultants 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 operator and a network consultant. Additionally, a network consultant has an average salary of $89,303, which is higher than the $54,148 average annual salary of a network operator.
The top three skills for a network operator include switches, customer service and routers. The most important skills for a network consultant are appeals, firewall, and windows server.
| Network Operator | Network Consultant | |
| Yearly salary | $54,148 | $89,303 |
| Hourly rate | $26.03 | $42.93 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 51,668 | 58,194 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 53% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A Network Provider in an organization is the person who provides wired and wireless communication services that own or control the infrastructure that is important when it comes to selling and delivering services to mobile network operators, virtual network operators, and end-users. You will be required to monitor and troubleshoot communication and application-related tools, maintain the wireless network infrastructure, test and implement new products and services and plan and manage telecommunication services when large and complex projects are being carried out.
Network consultants are information technology (IT) professionals who are responsible for designing, setting up, and maintaining computer networks for an organization or at a client location. These consultants are required to meet with the manager of an organization and network engineers to discuss their networking requirements. By supervising a team of IT professionals, these consultants must administer technical issues and fix infrastructure issues onsite. Network consultants must also maintain documentation for IT infrastructure as well as coordinate network documentation with account managers.
Network operators and network consultants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Network Operator | Network Consultant | |
| Average salary | $54,148 | $89,303 |
| Salary range | Between $29,000 And $98,000 | Between $60,000 And $132,000 |
| Highest paying City | Arlington, VA | Mountain View, CA |
| Highest paying state | Virginia | California |
| Best paying company | State Street | Dell |
| Best paying industry | Government | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a network operator and a network consultant in terms of educational background:
| Network Operator | Network Consultant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 53% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between network operators' and network consultants' demographics:
| Network Operator | Network Consultant | |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 84.2% Female, 15.8% | Male, 87.0% Female, 13.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.2% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.9% Asian, 9.1% White, 63.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 9.0% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.7% Asian, 11.3% White, 61.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 9% |