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The differences between senior data center engineers and systems administrators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a senior data center engineer and a systems administrator. Additionally, a senior data center engineer has an average salary of $103,215, which is higher than the $77,156 average annual salary of a systems administrator.
The top three skills for a senior data center engineer include windows, vmware esxi and nexus. The most important skills for a systems administrator are linux, troubleshoot, and windows server.
| Senior Data Center Engineer | Systems Administrator | |
| Yearly salary | $103,215 | $77,156 |
| Hourly rate | $49.62 | $37.09 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 139,255 | 134,500 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 55% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A senior data center engineer specializes in designing and developing systems and networks to optimize data center operations. It is their responsibility to set guidelines and objectives, identify and understand the needs of facilities, conduct research and analyses, develop prototypes and test structures, troubleshoot problems, perform installations and repairs, and conduct regular maintenance checks on systems. Moreover, a senior data center engineer oversees projects and leads junior engineers to reach goals, all while implementing the company's data security policies and regulations.
Systems administrators are employees who oversee information technology infrastructures in the office. They are skilled information technology professionals who are knowledgeable about the company's network systems and other technology-related infrastructures. They are responsible for installing, configuring, or updating network systems, software, and hardware. They also monitor the different systems and troubleshoot any issues that users may encounter. Systems administrators manage the access of users, ensure the security of the network, and address any challenges that users may have. They conduct repairs and routine maintenance to ensure that the systems in place are in the best shape.
Senior data center engineers and systems administrators have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Data Center Engineer | Systems Administrator | |
| Average salary | $103,215 | $77,156 |
| Salary range | Between $75,000 And $140,000 | Between $59,000 And $100,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Idaho | California |
| Best paying company | CDW | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Technology |
There are a few differences between a senior data center engineer and a systems administrator in terms of educational background:
| Senior Data Center Engineer | Systems Administrator | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 55% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Northeastern University | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between senior data center engineers' and systems administrators' demographics:
| Senior Data Center Engineer | Systems Administrator | |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 97.9% Female, 2.1% | Male, 83.9% Female, 16.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.9% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.6% Asian, 11.0% White, 62.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 8.6% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.3% Asian, 11.5% White, 62.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 9% |