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The differences between principal network engineers and senior network 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 principal network engineer and a senior network engineer. Additionally, a principal network engineer has an average salary of $112,094, which is higher than the $111,707 average annual salary of a senior network engineer.
The top three skills for a principal network engineer include linux, lan wan and network infrastructure. The most important skills for a senior network engineer are switches, BGP, and OSPF.
| Principal Network Engineer | Senior Network Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $112,094 | $111,707 |
| Hourly rate | $53.89 | $53.71 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 107,276 | 35,428 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
In the information technology industry, a principal network engineer specializes in designing and developing networks and systems in adherence to client or company needs. Their responsibilities include gathering and analyzing data, developing standard procedures and test structures, performing installations and upgrades, identifying the strengths and weaknesses of existing networks, and implementing solutions against its vulnerable areas. They may also conduct regular maintenance checks and repairs, provide technical support to staff, and train junior engineers. Moreover, they must lead and encourage information technology teams to reach goals while enforcing the company's security policies and regulations.
A senior network engineer is responsible for managing the organization's network infrastructure, handling advanced network issues, upgrading the system's design for optimization, configuring network features, and ensuring the network's highest security measures to avoid unauthorized access and suspicious activities. Senior network engineers work with network architects to implement network designs, run diagnostic tests, and create network solution reports for review and recovery reference. A senior network engineer must have excellent communication and organization skills and broad knowledge of the technology industry, programming languages, and system codes.
Principal network engineers and senior network engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Principal Network Engineer | Senior Network Engineer | |
| Average salary | $112,094 | $111,707 |
| Salary range | Between $86,000 And $145,000 | Between $85,000 And $145,000 |
| Highest paying City | Sunnyvale, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Washington |
| Best paying company | Walmart | The Citadel |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Finance |
There are a few differences between a principal network engineer and a senior network engineer in terms of educational background:
| Principal Network Engineer | Senior Network Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Northeastern University | - |
Here are the differences between principal network engineers' and senior network engineers' demographics:
| Principal Network Engineer | Senior Network Engineer | |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 93.5% Female, 6.5% | Male, 93.2% Female, 6.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.7% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.4% Asian, 11.1% White, 62.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 8.2% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.9% Asian, 13.5% White, 61.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 9% |