Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between senior network architects and network support technicians 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 technician. Additionally, a senior network architect has an average salary of $114,322, which is higher than the $48,622 average annual salary of a network support technician.
The top three skills for a senior network architect include cloud, azure and OSPF. The most important skills for a network support technician are troubleshoot, technical support, and customer service.
| Senior Network Architect | Network Support Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $114,322 | $48,622 |
| Hourly rate | $54.96 | $23.38 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 95,327 | 120,245 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 50% |
| 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 technician specializes in optimizing a company's information technology (IT) networks for a smooth and efficient workflow. Their responsibilities revolve around addressing issues and concerns, troubleshooting, installing systems, executing upgrades, conducting diagnostic tests, and performing corrective measures as needed. They must also coordinate with staff in developing new IT systems, evaluate existing networks for areas needing improvement, and develop protocols while adhering to the company's policies and regulations. Furthermore, as a network support technician, it is essential to maintain regular network maintenance checks to ensure the security and safety of company data.
Senior network architects and network support technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Network Architect | Network Support Technician | |
| Average salary | $114,322 | $48,622 |
| Salary range | Between $82,000 And $158,000 | Between $38,000 And $61,000 |
| Highest paying City | Redwood City, CA | Troy, NY |
| Highest paying state | California | Rhode Island |
| Best paying company | NVIDIA | Microsoft |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Technology |
There are a few differences between a senior network architect and a network support technician in terms of educational background:
| Senior Network Architect | Network Support Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 50% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Computer Science |
| Most common college | California State University - Long Beach | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between senior network architects' and network support technicians' demographics:
| Senior Network Architect | Network Support Technician | |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 96.5% Female, 3.5% | Male, 89.3% Female, 10.7% |
| 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, 9.1% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.7% Asian, 8.7% White, 64.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 9% |