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The differences between senior infrastructure engineers and software architects 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 infrastructure engineer, becoming a software architect takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a senior infrastructure engineer has an average salary of $117,765, which is higher than the $114,406 average annual salary of a software architect.
The top three skills for a senior infrastructure engineer include cloud, AWS and linux. The most important skills for a software architect are java, architecture, and cloud.
| Senior Infrastructure Engineer | Software Architect | |
| Yearly salary | $117,765 | $114,406 |
| Hourly rate | $56.62 | $55.00 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 21% |
| Number of jobs | 78,855 | 319,594 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Average age | 43 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 4 |
A senior infrastructure engineer specializes in designing and developing systems and infrastructures based on client preferences and industry standards. They have the duty to identify and understand the project's needs, streamline project requirements, produce drafts, create prototypes and models, and establish tests to identify potential issues and ensure the projects' quality. Additionally, a senior infrastructure engineer has the authority to make decisions, train and supervise junior engineers, establish goals and timelines, provide technical support, and implement policies and guidelines.
A Software Architect develops new programs for a variety of technological devices for businesses, computer games, mobile networks, and/or operating systems. They ensure architectural integrity and consistency across the entire product and work closely with executives to explain the benefits of the software.
Senior infrastructure engineers and software architects have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Infrastructure Engineer | Software Architect | |
| Average salary | $117,765 | $114,406 |
| Salary range | Between $87,000 And $158,000 | Between $82,000 And $158,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | Aspiration |
| Best paying industry | Hospitality | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a senior infrastructure engineer and a software architect in terms of educational background:
| Senior Infrastructure Engineer | Software Architect | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Harvard University |
Here are the differences between senior infrastructure engineers' and software architects' demographics:
| Senior Infrastructure Engineer | Software Architect | |
| Average age | 43 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 75.3% Female, 24.7% | Male, 93.8% Female, 6.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.6% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.3% Asian, 10.7% White, 62.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 4.3% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 8.1% Asian, 30.0% White, 52.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 8% |