Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between security 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 a security engineer, becoming a systems engineer takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a security engineer has an average salary of $104,524, which is higher than the $82,834 average annual salary of a systems engineer.
The top three skills for a security engineer include java, cloud security and infrastructure. The most important skills for a systems engineer are python, linux, and C++.
| Security Engineer | Systems Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $104,524 | $82,834 |
| Hourly rate | $50.25 | $39.82 |
| Growth rate | 32% | 21% |
| Number of jobs | 86,093 | 145,936 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Average age | 42 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 2 |
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.
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.
Security engineers and systems engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Security Engineer | Systems Engineer | |
| Average salary | $104,524 | $82,834 |
| Salary range | Between $77,000 And $141,000 | Between $62,000 And $109,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | ICE Mortgage Technology | The Citadel |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Automotive |
There are a few differences between a security engineer and a systems engineer in terms of educational background:
| Security Engineer | Systems Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | California State University - Long Beach |
Here are the differences between security engineers' and systems engineers' demographics:
| Security Engineer | Systems Engineer | |
| Average age | 42 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 86.4% Female, 13.6% | Male, 86.1% Female, 13.9% |
| 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, 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 | 9% | 8% |