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The differences between network security specialists and security engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a network security specialist and a security engineer. Additionally, a security engineer has an average salary of $104,524, 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 security engineer are java, cloud security, and infrastructure.
| Network Security Specialist | Security Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $82,206 | $104,524 |
| Hourly rate | $39.52 | $50.25 |
| Growth rate | 32% | 32% |
| Number of jobs | 82,646 | 86,093 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
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.
Security engineers are responsible for developing and overseeing data and security software to help prevent data breaches, leaks, and taps related to cybercrime. Other duties and responsibilities include developing new systems to help protect computer networks and assets, configuring firewalls, and conducting penetration testing to pinpoint vulnerabilities. Additionally, security engineers are responsible for investigating attacks and help prevent cybersecurity threat. They are also responsible for creating new processes for authorization, encryption algorithms, and authentication, and analyzing current security policies.
Network security specialists and security engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Network Security Specialist | Security Engineer | |
| Average salary | $82,206 | $104,524 |
| Salary range | Between $60,000 And $112,000 | Between $77,000 And $141,000 |
| Highest paying City | Sunnyvale, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | JPMorgan Chase & Co. | ICE Mortgage Technology |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a network security specialist and a security engineer in terms of educational background:
| Network Security Specialist | Security Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| 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 security engineers' demographics:
| Network Security Specialist | Security Engineer | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 83.6% Female, 16.4% | Male, 86.4% Female, 13.6% |
| 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, 9.2% Unknown, 6.1% Hispanic or Latino, 9.0% Asian, 9.6% White, 65.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 9% |