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The differences between operations engineers and systems engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become an operations engineer, becoming a systems engineer takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, an operations engineer has an average salary of $91,522, which is higher than the $82,834 average annual salary of a systems engineer.
The top three skills for an operations engineer include python, cloud and AWS. The most important skills for a systems engineer are python, linux, and C++.
| Operations Engineer | Systems Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $91,522 | $82,834 |
| Hourly rate | $44.00 | $39.82 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 21% |
| Number of jobs | 155,188 | 145,936 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Average age | 41 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 2 |
An operations engineer is an individual who is responsible for ensuring that the operations of a company are working properly in industries such as manufacturing or shipping. Operations engineers are required to handle repairs or upgrades to the company's machinery and coordinate with department heads to assist in fine-tuning their operations system. When they have upgraded their system, operations engineers should conduct training with managers as well as employees and other workers. They are also required to examine machinery for defects and communicate maintenance schedules with department heads.
Systems engineers are responsible for creating and overseeing systems related to the overall operations of the organization. They are in charge of assessing the organization's needs in terms of systems and creating plans to address these needs. These systems are usually related to the production or manufacturing of company products. Systems engineers create end-to-end processes that ensure efficiency and effectiveness. They make sure that the processes they put in place adhere to safety and security policies and guidelines. They also do routine checks and continuously find ways to further improve production and other systems.
Operations engineers and systems engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Operations Engineer | Systems Engineer | |
| Average salary | $91,522 | $82,834 |
| Salary range | Between $63,000 And $132,000 | Between $62,000 And $109,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Apple | The Citadel |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Automotive |
There are a few differences between an operations engineer and a systems engineer in terms of educational background:
| Operations Engineer | Systems Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Michigan Technological University | California State University - Long Beach |
Here are the differences between operations engineers' and systems engineers' demographics:
| Operations Engineer | Systems Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 89.9% Female, 10.1% | Male, 86.1% Female, 13.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.4% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.2% Asian, 10.6% White, 72.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | Black or African American, 4.7% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 8.4% Asian, 29.7% White, 52.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 8% |