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Network planning engineer vs systems administrator

The differences between network planning engineers and systems administrators 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 systems administrator. Additionally, a network planning engineer has an average salary of $94,120, which is higher than the $77,156 average annual salary of a systems administrator.

The top three skills for a network planning engineer include network planning, capacity planning and OSPF. The most important skills for a systems administrator are linux, troubleshoot, and windows server.

Network planning engineer vs systems administrator overview

Network Planning EngineerSystems Administrator
Yearly salary$94,120$77,156
Hourly rate$45.25$37.09
Growth rate5%5%
Number of jobs40,398134,500
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 72%Bachelor's Degree, 60%
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 systems administrator do?

Systems administrators are employees who oversee information technology infrastructures in the office. They are skilled information technology professionals who are knowledgeable about the company's network systems and other technology-related infrastructures. They are responsible for installing, configuring, or updating network systems, software, and hardware. They also monitor the different systems and troubleshoot any issues that users may encounter. Systems administrators manage the access of users, ensure the security of the network, and address any challenges that users may have. They conduct repairs and routine maintenance to ensure that the systems in place are in the best shape.

Network planning engineer vs systems administrator salary

Network planning engineers and systems administrators have different pay scales, as shown below.

Network Planning EngineerSystems Administrator
Average salary$94,120$77,156
Salary rangeBetween $71,000 And $123,000Between $59,000 And $100,000
Highest paying CityBothell, WASan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateCaliforniaCalifornia
Best paying companySuperior GroupMeta
Best paying industryTelecommunicationTechnology

Differences between network planning engineer and systems administrator education

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

Network Planning EngineerSystems Administrator
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 72%Bachelor's Degree, 60%
Most common majorElectrical EngineeringComputer Science
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaMassachusetts Institute of Technology

Network planning engineer vs systems administrator demographics

Here are the differences between network planning engineers' and systems administrators' demographics:

Network Planning EngineerSystems Administrator
Average age4343
Gender ratioMale, 80.9% Female, 19.1%Male, 83.9% Female, 16.1%
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, 8.6% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.3% Asian, 11.5% White, 62.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage9%9%

Differences between network planning engineer and systems administrator 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

Systems administrator example responsibilities.

  • Used Jenkins to automate most of the build relate tasks.
  • Manage windows file servers, messaging, and SQL databases.
  • Lead the project which integrate internal DNS into the corporate LDAP infrastructure for end user host management prior to deployment.
  • Lead business-critical information security initiatives involving encryption of customer data.
  • Authore and maintain shell and Perl scripts to automate administration tasks for infrastructure management.
  • Configure & manage all switches and servers responsible for providing WLAN connectivity and authentication services.
  • Show more

Network planning engineer vs systems administrator skills

Common network planning engineer skills
  • Network Planning, 9%
  • Capacity Planning, 5%
  • OSPF, 4%
  • Ethernet, 4%
  • RF, 4%
  • Network Design, 4%
Common systems administrator skills
  • Linux, 7%
  • Troubleshoot, 7%
  • Windows Server, 6%
  • Database, 5%
  • Technical Support, 4%
  • PowerShell, 3%

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