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The differences between network security specialists and network 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 specialist, becoming a network engineer takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a network engineer has an average salary of $83,557, which is higher than the $82,206 average annual salary of a network security specialist.
The top three skills for a network security specialist include network security, incident response and IDS. The most important skills for a network engineer are switches, troubleshoot, and network infrastructure.
| Network Security Specialist | Network Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $82,206 | $83,557 |
| Hourly rate | $39.52 | $40.17 |
| Growth rate | 32% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 82,646 | 72,346 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 62% |
| Average age | 42 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 2 |
A Network Security Specialist is a person who oversees computer networks to find security threats or unauthorized users. Their responsibilities include: identifying compromised machines, creating briefs of security measures taken, identifying possible security risks, determining the proper procedure to address the risks, assessing software that security aid, and researching security devices to get proper information on installation, audit-related information, and disaster recovery plans.
A network engineer is responsible for managing a network system, monitoring its performance, and upgrading its features to optimize performance and boost efficiency. Network engineers also create new systems, designing them based on clients' specifications and business needs. They also check network defects, perform troubleshooting, improve data security systems, and install security updates. A network engineer must have excellent knowledge of the technology industry, as well as a broad understanding of system codes, programming languages, and network configurations.
Network security specialists and network engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Network Security Specialist | Network Engineer | |
| Average salary | $82,206 | $83,557 |
| Salary range | Between $60,000 And $112,000 | Between $62,000 And $111,000 |
| Highest paying City | Sunnyvale, CA | Menlo Park, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | JPMorgan Chase & Co. | The Citadel |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a network security specialist and a network engineer in terms of educational background:
| Network Security Specialist | Network Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 62% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | California State University - Long Beach |
Here are the differences between network security specialists' and network engineers' demographics:
| Network Security Specialist | Network Engineer | |
| Average age | 42 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 83.6% Female, 16.4% | Male, 90.6% Female, 9.4% |
| 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, 7.9% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.6% Asian, 13.7% White, 61.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 9% |