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The differences between senior network architects and network 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 technician. Additionally, a senior network architect has an average salary of $114,322, which is higher than the $68,938 average annual salary of a network technician.
The top three skills for a senior network architect include cloud, azure and OSPF. The most important skills for a network technician are customer service, switches, and troubleshoot.
| Senior Network Architect | Network Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $114,322 | $68,938 |
| Hourly rate | $54.96 | $33.14 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 95,327 | 79,712 |
| 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 technician is responsible for system malfunction diagnosis and troubleshooting operations. Network technicians duties' include repairing damaged system components, analyzing computer systems and blueprints, installing network connections, and upgrading accessories for efficient operations. Other duties include assisting customers with technical issues, ensuring computer systems' privacy, creating documents of network issues and resolutions, and suggesting alternative equipment for network backups. A network technician must have a broad knowledge of the technology industry and mechanical processes, plus the ability to work under pressure with minimal supervision.
Senior network architects and network technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Network Architect | Network Technician | |
| Average salary | $114,322 | $68,938 |
| Salary range | Between $82,000 And $158,000 | Between $51,000 And $92,000 |
| Highest paying City | Redwood City, CA | Urban Honolulu, HI |
| Highest paying state | California | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | NVIDIA | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Finance |
There are a few differences between a senior network architect and a network technician in terms of educational background:
| Senior Network Architect | Network 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 technicians' demographics:
| Senior Network Architect | Network Technician | |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 96.5% Female, 3.5% | Male, 87.3% Female, 12.7% |
| 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, 8.9% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.6% Asian, 9.4% White, 63.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 9% |