Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between senior security & network engineers and senior system 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 security & network engineer and a senior system administrator. Additionally, a senior security & network engineer has an average salary of $112,202, which is higher than the $98,146 average annual salary of a senior system administrator.
The top three skills for a senior security & network engineer include network security, cisco asa and switches. The most important skills for a senior system administrator are linux, windows server, and troubleshoot.
| Senior Security & Network Engineer | Senior System Administrator | |
| Yearly salary | $112,202 | $98,146 |
| Hourly rate | $53.94 | $47.19 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 89,592 | 100,873 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 62% |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A senior security and network engineer is an individual responsible for planning, designing, monitoring, and troubleshooting the network security system to improve organizational efficiency. The network security job is to safeguard a firm's computer networks and systems from threats such as cyber-attacks, intrusion, infiltration, and natural disasters. The job requirements for the main network security engineer position include a network engineer degree, experience in creating and maintaining security systems, and knowledge of computer forensic tools.
A senior system administrator specializes in overseeing the computer system operations in an organization. Their responsibilities primarily revolve around monitoring the performance of all software and hardware, installing servers, configuring systems, and making sure every technical aspect is running smoothly. Should there be any issues, they must take charge of troubleshooting and providing solutions. As someone with more experience, a senior system administrator leads and evaluates the performances of fellow skilled professionals in the department, all while adhering to the company's policies and regulations.
Senior security & network engineers and senior system administrators have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Security & Network Engineer | Senior System Administrator | |
| Average salary | $112,202 | $98,146 |
| Salary range | Between $78,000 And $159,000 | Between $75,000 And $126,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Credit Karma | Cambridge Associates |
| Best paying industry | Internet | Finance |
There are a few differences between a senior security & network engineer and a senior system administrator in terms of educational background:
| Senior Security & Network Engineer | Senior System Administrator | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 62% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | - | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between senior security & network engineers' and senior system administrators' demographics:
| Senior Security & Network Engineer | Senior System Administrator | |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 92.9% Female, 7.1% | Male, 89.0% Female, 11.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 7.9% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.7% Asian, 13.8% White, 61.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 8.9% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.6% Asian, 11.8% White, 61.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 9% |