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Network planning engineer vs system technician

The differences between network planning engineers and system 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 planning engineer and a system technician. Additionally, a network planning engineer has an average salary of $94,120, which is higher than the $43,410 average annual salary of a system technician.

The top three skills for a network planning engineer include network planning, capacity planning and OSPF. The most important skills for a system technician are customer service, hand tools, and preventative maintenance.

Network planning engineer vs system technician overview

Network Planning EngineerSystem Technician
Yearly salary$94,120$43,410
Hourly rate$45.25$20.87
Growth rate5%5%
Number of jobs40,398137,121
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 72%Associate Degree, 40%
Average age4343
Years of experience22

What does a network planning engineer do?

A Network Planning Engineer is a person who has a significant role in maintaining the internal and external network of an organization. Their responsibilities include:

Offering support to critical teams within the organization as needed.

Engineering designs.

Communicating new strategies for new projects from deployment to maintenance and upgrades.

Completing the setup of a network in a manner that satisfies the organization and generally design and improves networks.

What does a system technician do?

A system technician is an individual responsible for supporting users with issues related to the computer system. System technicians conduct appropriate diagnostics on computer issues and must be able to explain technical issues to clients or team members. They should carry out tests on the system so that they can generate error reports to identify and fix any computer system problems. System technicians also can write and maintain computer programs and work with computers and electronics, including circuit boards, computer hardware and software, and computer processors.

Network planning engineer vs system technician salary

Network planning engineers and system technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

Network Planning EngineerSystem Technician
Average salary$94,120$43,410
Salary rangeBetween $71,000 And $123,000Between $27,000 And $67,000
Highest paying CityBothell, WASeattle, WA
Highest paying stateCaliforniaWashington
Best paying companySuperior GroupBristol-Myers Squibb
Best paying industryTelecommunicationGovernment

Differences between network planning engineer and system technician education

There are a few differences between a network planning engineer and a system technician in terms of educational background:

Network Planning EngineerSystem Technician
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 72%Associate Degree, 40%
Most common majorElectrical EngineeringElectrical Engineering
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaStanford University

Network planning engineer vs system technician demographics

Here are the differences between network planning engineers' and system technicians' demographics:

Network Planning EngineerSystem Technician
Average age4343
Gender ratioMale, 80.9% Female, 19.1%Male, 90.0% Female, 10.0%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 8.1% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.8% Asian, 14.1% White, 60.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%Black or African American, 8.8% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.5% Asian, 8.8% White, 64.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage9%9%

Differences between network planning engineer and system technician duties and responsibilities

Network planning engineer example responsibilities.

  • Manage SunOS UNIX base network systems.
  • Excele at managing major network-wide upgrades; improve speed and predictability of multicast and order-routing data.
  • Evaluate KPI ad adjust parameters base in MRR and statistics.
  • Track and forecast minutes of use for voice switches across the country.
  • Perform node-swapping (BSC, HLR etc) in a live network.
  • Conduct functional tests by creating different test scenarios of control message exchanges within LTE NMS.
  • Show more

System technician example responsibilities.

  • Install and manage approve software distributions using Microsoft SCCM.
  • Manage, support and maintain modern EMC SAN storage platform.
  • Manage 185 virtualize desktops running in a cluster VMware ESX environment.
  • Provide on-site construction support and lead system testing, debugging, and startup.
  • Develop and implement a weekly schedule on SQL databases to automate the execution of maintenance plans.
  • Plan and lead training programs on new software development essential to the movement to a paperless travel department for DoD.
  • Show more

Network planning engineer vs system technician skills

Common network planning engineer skills
  • Network Planning, 9%
  • Capacity Planning, 5%
  • OSPF, 4%
  • Ethernet, 4%
  • RF, 4%
  • Network Design, 4%
Common system technician skills
  • Customer Service, 10%
  • Hand Tools, 7%
  • Preventative Maintenance, 6%
  • Technical Support, 5%
  • Control Systems, 4%
  • Security Systems, 4%

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