Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between network security specialists 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 specialist, becoming a network security engineer takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a network security engineer has an average salary of $88,322, 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 security engineer are network security, windows, and cisco asa.
| Network Security Specialist | Network Security Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $82,206 | $88,322 |
| Hourly rate | $39.52 | $42.46 |
| Growth rate | 32% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 82,646 | 91,892 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| 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 security engineer is responsible for maintaining the safety and security of all the organization's network systems, conducting regular configuration and maintenance to avoid unauthorized access and suspicious activities that may pose risks for the company's integrity. Network security engineers manage security threats and strategize resolutions to mitigate the reoccurrence of security issues. They also develop security enhancement recommendations, update network infrastructure, and monitor system activities. A network security engineer should have excellent communication and technical skills, as well as a strong command of programming languages and system codes.
Network security specialists and network security engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Network Security Specialist | Network Security Engineer | |
| Average salary | $82,206 | $88,322 |
| Salary range | Between $60,000 And $112,000 | Between $64,000 And $120,000 |
| Highest paying City | Sunnyvale, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | JPMorgan Chase & Co. | The Knot |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Retail |
There are a few differences between a network security specialist and a network security engineer in terms of educational background:
| Network Security Specialist | Network Security Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between network security specialists' and network security engineers' demographics:
| Network Security Specialist | Network Security Engineer | |
| Average age | 42 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 83.6% Female, 16.4% | 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% |