Network security consultant vs network security engineer

The differences between network security consultants and network security engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a network security consultant, becoming a network security engineer takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a network security consultant has an average salary of $92,993, which is higher than the $88,322 average annual salary of a network security engineer.

The top three skills for a network security consultant include network infrastructure, switches and routers. The most important skills for a network security engineer are network security, windows, and cisco asa.

Network security consultant vs network security engineer overview

	Network Security Consultant	Network Security Engineer
Yearly salary	$92,993	$88,322
Hourly rate	$44.71	$42.46
Growth rate	32%	5%
Number of jobs	79,888	91,892
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 67%	Bachelor's Degree, 66%
Average age	42	43
Years of experience	6	2

Network security consultant vs network security engineer salary

Network security consultants and network security engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Network Security Consultant	Network Security Engineer
Average salary	$92,993	$88,322
Salary range	Between $68,000 And $126,000	Between $64,000 And $120,000
Highest paying City	New York, NY	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	California	California
Best paying company	Palo Alto Networks	The Knot
Best paying industry	Finance	Retail

Differences between network security consultant and network security engineer education

There are a few differences between a network security consultant and a network security engineer in terms of educational background:

	Network Security Consultant	Network Security Engineer
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 67%	Bachelor's Degree, 66%
Most common major	Computer Science	Computer Science
Most common college	Massachusetts Institute of Technology	Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Network security consultant vs network security engineer demographics

Here are the differences between network security consultants' and network security engineers' demographics:

	Network Security Consultant	Network Security Engineer
Average age	42	43
Gender ratio	Male, 92.0% Female, 8.0%	Male, 90.7% Female, 9.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.2% Unknown, 6.1% Hispanic or Latino, 9.0% Asian, 9.6% White, 65.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%	Black or African American, 8.0% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.7% Asian, 13.9% White, 61.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between network security consultant and network security engineer duties and responsibilities

Network security consultant example responsibilities.

Manage multiple network suppliers in a global environment in determining a proper choice for the SIEM.
Design and manage information systems security policy, implementation, and management for a globally distribute MPLS infrastructure.
Work on documenting and finding UNIX security holes within Harris' network.
Act as liaison between network team and Protiviti for their ongoing PCI compliance certification process
Act as an escalation point for alerts generate by a SIEM and other relate tools.
Complete system maintenance and upgrades during establish off-hour maintenance windows, and in the event emergency repairs or network upgrades.

Network security engineer example responsibilities.

Add and manage nodes in SolarWinds for monitoring purposes using SNMP v1/v2/v3.
Work with VMware NSX with deployment of greenfield environment and managing and troubleshooting issues with NSX.
Interact successfully with both program leads and DoD customer to ensure objectives are completed on time.
Experience in managing and troubleshooting Linux or Unix base operating systems.
Manage information technology security, including backups, firewalls, and routers.
Design and manage information systems security policy, implementation, and management for a globally distribute MPLS infrastructure.

Network security consultant vs network security engineer skills

Common network security consultant skills

Network Infrastructure, 9%
Switches, 9%
Routers, 7%
Windows, 6%
NMAP, 5%
Linux, 4%

Common network security engineer skills

Network Security, 10%
Windows, 5%
Cisco Asa, 4%
Switches, 4%
Linux, 4%
Troubleshoot, 3%

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Network Security Consultant vs Network Security Engineer

Updated January 8, 2025

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