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The differences between senior network architects and network support engineers 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 support engineer. Additionally, a senior network architect has an average salary of $114,322, which is higher than the $86,406 average annual salary of a network support engineer.
The top three skills for a senior network architect include cloud, azure and OSPF. The most important skills for a network support engineer are switches, network support, and OSPF.
| Senior Network Architect | Network Support Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $114,322 | $86,406 |
| Hourly rate | $54.96 | $41.54 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 95,327 | 113,476 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
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.
A network support engineer is an information technology expert who designs and develops computer systems, ensuring efficiency and smooth workflow. Among their responsibilities include performing installations and upgrades, configuring networks, troubleshooting issues, gathering and analyzing data to identify areas needing improvement, and recommending strategies to optimize network operations. They must also provide technical support to staff, address issues and concerns, conduct inspections, and perform repairs. Moreover, a network support engineer must regularly monitor networks while implementing the company's security and safety standards.
Senior network architects and network support engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Network Architect | Network Support Engineer | |
| Average salary | $114,322 | $86,406 |
| Salary range | Between $82,000 And $158,000 | Between $66,000 And $112,000 |
| Highest paying City | Redwood City, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | NVIDIA | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Technology |
There are a few differences between a senior network architect and a network support engineer in terms of educational background:
| Senior Network Architect | Network Support Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | California State University - Long Beach | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between senior network architects' and network support engineers' demographics:
| Senior Network Architect | Network Support Engineer | |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 96.5% Female, 3.5% | Male, 89.2% Female, 10.8% |
| 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, 8.0% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.7% Asian, 13.9% White, 61.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 9% |