Senior network architect vs network administrator

The differences between senior network architects and network 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 network architect and a network administrator. Additionally, a senior network architect has an average salary of $114,322, which is higher than the $71,357 average annual salary of a network administrator.

The top three skills for a senior network architect include cloud, azure and OSPF. The most important skills for a network administrator are switches, windows server, and troubleshoot.

Senior network architect vs network administrator overview

	Senior Network Architect	Network Administrator
Yearly salary	$114,322	$71,357
Hourly rate	$54.96	$34.31
Growth rate	5%	5%
Number of jobs	95,327	106,886
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 63%	Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Average age	43	43
Years of experience	2	2

What does a senior network architect do?

A senior network architect specializes in designing and establishing networks and systems in a company. It is their responsibility to determine the network and communication needs of a company, conduct research and analysis, gather and analyze data from various operations, develop strategies to optimize operations, and oversee procedures from planning to execution, ensuring accuracy and smooth workflow. Moreover, as a senior network architect, they must lead and serve as a role model to junior architects, all while implementing the company's policies and regulations.

What does a network administrator do?

A network administrator is responsible for managing an organization's computer systems, ensuring its smooth operations and highest efficiency. Network administrators' duties include inspecting network malfunctions, troubleshooting unresponsive programs, improving system processes, analyzing client's specifications, upgrading existing applications, coordinating with the technology department, and creating a report of network issues resolutions. A network administrator should display a strong command of programming languages. Extensive knowledge in the technology industry and analytical and problem-solving skills to manage network problems immediately is also necessary.

Senior network architect vs network administrator salary

Senior network architects and network administrators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Senior Network Architect	Network Administrator
Average salary	$114,322	$71,357
Salary range	Between $82,000 And $158,000	Between $56,000 And $90,000
Highest paying City	Redwood City, CA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	California	Washington
Best paying company	NVIDIA	Google
Best paying industry	Finance	Finance

Differences between senior network architect and network administrator education

There are a few differences between a senior network architect and a network administrator in terms of educational background:

	Senior Network Architect	Network Administrator
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 63%	Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Most common major	Electrical Engineering	Computer Science
Most common college	California State University - Long Beach	Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Senior network architect vs network administrator demographics

Here are the differences between senior network architects' and network administrators' demographics:

	Senior Network Architect	Network Administrator
Average age	43	43
Gender ratio	Male, 96.5% Female, 3.5%	Male, 88.6% Female, 11.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.7% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.4% Asian, 10.9% White, 62.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%	Black or African American, 8.8% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.5% Asian, 9.6% White, 63.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between senior network architect and network administrator duties and responsibilities

Senior network architect example responsibilities.

Control fully mesh MPLS network and relationship with manage services tie to the service.
Experience implementing and managing Cisco power networks, including QOS, IBGP and BGP.
Manage all application network impact studies, high availability needs and QoS traffic controls.
Manage Visio drawing for Aviva HQ as well as Aviva data center and remote branches.
Configure, install and manage enterprise network infrastructure (various Cisco routers switches, IPS and ASA firewalls).
Redesign and modernize the campus infrastructure as well manage and maintain the current LAN while implementing the new network.

Network administrator example responsibilities.

Lead and manage desktop standards project.
Manage backups using EMC Networker and Avamar.
Manage Solarwinds to monitor servers and networks for all locations.
Manage all provisioning and technical issues for new customer IP blocks.
Deploy and manage storage (windows file servers and NetApp NAS).
Manage all technology: Novell, Microsoft, Cisco, email, library, labs, dorms, programs

Senior network architect vs network administrator skills

Common senior network architect skills

Cloud, 9%
Azure, 7%
OSPF, 6%
EIGRP, 5%
Emerging Technologies, 5%
VMware, 4%

Common network administrator skills

Switches, 7%
Windows Server, 6%
Troubleshoot, 5%
Network Hardware, 5%
Routers, 4%
Lan Wan, 4%

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Senior Network Architect vs Network Administrator

Updated January 8, 2025

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