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The differences between senior lead systems engineers and senior system 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 lead systems engineer and a senior system administrator. Additionally, a senior lead systems engineer has an average salary of $114,766, which is higher than the $98,146 average annual salary of a senior system administrator.
The top three skills for a senior lead systems engineer include java, systems engineering and architecture. The most important skills for a senior system administrator are linux, windows server, and troubleshoot.
| Senior Lead Systems Engineer | Senior System Administrator | |
| Yearly salary | $114,766 | $98,146 |
| Hourly rate | $55.18 | $47.19 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 251,239 | 100,873 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 62% |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A senior lead systems engineer specializes in designing and developing systems for different industries. Besides engineering systems, they lead the efforts put into completing various projects and programs. Their duties usually include spearheading the research activities, establishing goals and guidelines, setting timelines, selecting resources, delegating responsibilities, and monitoring operations from planning to production, addressing issues and concerns to solve them promptly and efficiently. Additionally, as a senior lead systems engineer, they must lead and empower teams while implementing safety policies and industry standards.
A senior system administrator specializes in overseeing the computer system operations in an organization. Their responsibilities primarily revolve around monitoring the performance of all software and hardware, installing servers, configuring systems, and making sure every technical aspect is running smoothly. Should there be any issues, they must take charge of troubleshooting and providing solutions. As someone with more experience, a senior system administrator leads and evaluates the performances of fellow skilled professionals in the department, all while adhering to the company's policies and regulations.
Senior lead systems engineers and senior system administrators have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Lead Systems Engineer | Senior System Administrator | |
| Average salary | $114,766 | $98,146 |
| Salary range | Between $86,000 And $151,000 | Between $75,000 And $126,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Apple | Cambridge Associates |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Finance |
There are a few differences between a senior lead systems engineer and a senior system administrator in terms of educational background:
| Senior Lead Systems Engineer | Senior System Administrator | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 62% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Computer Science |
| Most common college | California State University - Long Beach | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between senior lead systems engineers' and senior system administrators' demographics:
| Senior Lead Systems Engineer | Senior System Administrator | |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 86.2% Female, 13.8% | Male, 89.0% Female, 11.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.1% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.8% Asian, 14.1% White, 60.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 8.9% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.6% Asian, 11.8% White, 61.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 9% |