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The differences between noc engineers and lead systems engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a noc engineer and a lead systems engineer. Additionally, a lead systems engineer has an average salary of $119,705, which is higher than the $64,721 average annual salary of a noc engineer.
The top three skills for a noc engineer include customer service, troubleshoot and network operations. The most important skills for a lead systems engineer are systems engineering, architecture, and infrastructure.
| NOC Engineer | Lead Systems Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $64,721 | $119,705 |
| Hourly rate | $31.12 | $57.55 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 64,038 | 186,392 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A network operation center engineer or NOC engineer is an individual who is responsible for managing and monitoring a network from any centralized location. Working with other IT professionals, NOC engineers must enhance the route performance by resolving any issues concerning the network and by using standard procedures to troubleshoot. They are required to maintain communication with vendors and the team to ensure that they remain updated on any issues. NOC engineers should also be knowledgeable in hardware configuration, including firewalls and routers.
A lead systems engineer is responsible for maintaining the safety and security of the systems infrastructure and improving the stability of the operating systems to support business operations. Lead systems engineers install and upgrade software applications and ensure that the technical strategies meet the quality standards and business requirements. They also enhance the performance of the existing systems, configuring features for optimization. A lead systems engineer must have excellent communication and technical skills, especially in supporting the end-users with technical failures and identifying accurate resolutions.
Noc engineers and lead systems engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| NOC Engineer | Lead Systems Engineer | |
| Average salary | $64,721 | $119,705 |
| Salary range | Between $45,000 And $92,000 | Between $90,000 And $158,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | PayPal | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Automotive |
There are a few differences between a noc engineer and a lead systems engineer in terms of educational background:
| NOC Engineer | Lead Systems Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | California State University - Long Beach |
Here are the differences between noc engineers' and lead systems engineers' demographics:
| NOC Engineer | Lead Systems Engineer | |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 90.6% Female, 9.4% | Male, 88.1% Female, 11.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.3% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 12.0% Asian, 12.5% White, 61.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 8.7% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.4% Asian, 12.5% White, 61.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 9% |