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The differences between senior administrators and senior principal engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a senior administrator, becoming a senior principal engineer takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a senior principal engineer has an average salary of $130,642, which is higher than the $103,102 average annual salary of a senior administrator.
The top three skills for a senior administrator include customer service, SR and troubleshoot. The most important skills for a senior principal engineer are python, architecture, and java.
| Senior Administrator | Senior Principal Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $103,102 | $130,642 |
| Hourly rate | $49.57 | $62.81 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 58,887 | 272,459 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Average age | 43 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 6 |
A senior administrator is responsible for managing the overall administrative duties in an organization, including coordinating with higher management to identify process and operations improvement and other business opportunities to grow revenues and increase profitability. Senior administrators monitor and delegate tasks to the administrative staff, resolve discrepancies on record-keeping, respond to the customers' inquiries and concerns, ensure the adequacy of inventory, and train new staff. They also inspect and update the database regularly for business information and customer details, as well as handling complaints or directing them to the appropriate personnel and department.
A senior principal engineer is responsible for leading engineering tasks within an organization and reports project updates to senior management. Senior principal engineers develop strategic methods and principles to improve the technical stability and efficiency of the company's systems, creating business proposals according to clients' specifications, and negotiating contracts with suppliers and other service providers. They also train new staff and identify innovations and business opportunities that would generate more revenue resources for the company.
Senior administrators and senior principal engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Administrator | Senior Principal Engineer | |
| Average salary | $103,102 | $130,642 |
| Salary range | Between $73,000 And $145,000 | Between $93,000 And $182,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | The Walt Disney Company | Airbnb |
| Best paying industry | - | Professional |
There are a few differences between a senior administrator and a senior principal engineer in terms of educational background:
| Senior Administrator | Senior Principal Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Most common major | Business | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between senior administrators' and senior principal engineers' demographics:
| Senior Administrator | Senior Principal Engineer | |
| Average age | 43 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 42.6% Female, 57.4% | Male, 88.2% Female, 11.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.0% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.7% Asian, 10.2% White, 62.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 17.2% White, 67.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 5% |