How To Become A Responsible System Engineer: What It Is and Career Path

What is a responsible system engineer and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted expert

Julie Brandis

The average responsible system engineer salary is $108,672. The most common degree is a bachelor's degree degree with an electrical engineering major. It usually takes 1-2 years of experience to become a responsible system engineer. Responsible system engineers with a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) certification earn more money. Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 5% and produce 18,200 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to a responsible system engineer?

Julie Brandis

Executive Director of Strategic Partnerships, Website

Oregon State University provides support in salary negotiation, also students can work with mentors who are familiar with company hiring practices and wage structures. If you have internship experience, that can help to boost your starting salary.

ScoreResponsible System EngineerUS Average

Salary

7.8

Avg. Salary $108,672

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

5.7

Growth rate 5%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

3.7

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.31%

Asian 11.81%

Black or African American 8.74%

Hispanic or Latino 12.43%

Unknown 5.07%

White 61.64%

Gender

female 18.18%

male 81.82%

Age - 42

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 42

Stress level

5.7

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

6.7

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

7.1

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a responsible system engineer

Explore responsible system engineer education requirements

Most common responsible system engineer degrees

Bachelor's

67.6 %

Associate

14.2 %

Master's

11.6 %

Start to develop specific responsible system engineer skills

Skills	Percentages
Windows	19.28%
Linux	18.30%
Security Incidents	12.78%
Design Reviews	5.75%
Switches	5.69%

Complete relevant responsible system engineer training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New responsible system engineers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a responsible system engineer based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real responsible system engineer resumes.

Research responsible system engineer duties and responsibilities

Lead team for PC and Microsoft issues.
Develop and integrate software that drives flight control system hardware and achieves product requirements for an international avionics customer base.
Telephone-Base customer support for Apollo Domain/OS and HP-UX Unix workstations, specializing graphics, user-interface technologies and native language support.
General TCP/IP protocol troubleshooting/consulting: mostly SMTP and DNS.

Apply for responsible system engineer jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a responsible system engineer job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams