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The differences between senior network engineers and network security 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 engineer and a network security engineer. Additionally, a senior network engineer has an average salary of $111,707, which is higher than the $88,322 average annual salary of a network security engineer.
The top three skills for a senior network engineer include switches, BGP and OSPF. The most important skills for a network security engineer are network security, windows, and cisco asa.
| Senior Network Engineer | Network Security Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $111,707 | $88,322 |
| Hourly rate | $53.71 | $42.46 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 35,428 | 91,892 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A senior network engineer is responsible for managing the organization's network infrastructure, handling advanced network issues, upgrading the system's design for optimization, configuring network features, and ensuring the network's highest security measures to avoid unauthorized access and suspicious activities. Senior network engineers work with network architects to implement network designs, run diagnostic tests, and create network solution reports for review and recovery reference. A senior network engineer must have excellent communication and organization skills and broad knowledge of the technology industry, programming languages, and system codes.
A network security engineer is responsible for maintaining the safety and security of all the organization's network systems, conducting regular configuration and maintenance to avoid unauthorized access and suspicious activities that may pose risks for the company's integrity. Network security engineers manage security threats and strategize resolutions to mitigate the reoccurrence of security issues. They also develop security enhancement recommendations, update network infrastructure, and monitor system activities. A network security engineer should have excellent communication and technical skills, as well as a strong command of programming languages and system codes.
Senior network engineers and network security engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Network Engineer | Network Security Engineer | |
| Average salary | $111,707 | $88,322 |
| Salary range | Between $85,000 And $145,000 | Between $64,000 And $120,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | California |
| Best paying company | The Citadel | The Knot |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Retail |
There are a few differences between a senior network engineer and a network security engineer in terms of educational background:
| Senior Network Engineer | Network Security Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Computer Science |
| Most common college | - | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between senior network engineers' and network security engineers' demographics:
| Senior Network Engineer | Network Security Engineer | |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 93.2% Female, 6.8% | Male, 90.7% Female, 9.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.2% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.9% Asian, 13.5% White, 61.2% 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% |