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The differences between senior system administrators and senior infrastructure 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 system administrator and a senior infrastructure engineer. Additionally, a senior infrastructure engineer has an average salary of $117,765, which is higher than the $98,146 average annual salary of a senior system administrator.
The top three skills for a senior system administrator include linux, windows server and troubleshoot. The most important skills for a senior infrastructure engineer are cloud, AWS, and linux.
| Senior System Administrator | Senior Infrastructure Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $98,146 | $117,765 |
| Hourly rate | $47.19 | $56.62 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 100,873 | 78,855 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
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.
A senior infrastructure engineer specializes in designing and developing systems and infrastructures based on client preferences and industry standards. They have the duty to identify and understand the project's needs, streamline project requirements, produce drafts, create prototypes and models, and establish tests to identify potential issues and ensure the projects' quality. Additionally, a senior infrastructure engineer has the authority to make decisions, train and supervise junior engineers, establish goals and timelines, provide technical support, and implement policies and guidelines.
Senior system administrators and senior infrastructure engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior System Administrator | Senior Infrastructure Engineer | |
| Average salary | $98,146 | $117,765 |
| Salary range | Between $75,000 And $126,000 | Between $87,000 And $158,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Washington |
| Best paying company | Cambridge Associates | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Hospitality |
There are a few differences between a senior system administrator and a senior infrastructure engineer in terms of educational background:
| Senior System Administrator | Senior Infrastructure Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between senior system administrators' and senior infrastructure engineers' demographics:
| Senior System Administrator | Senior Infrastructure Engineer | |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 89.0% Female, 11.0% | Male, 75.3% Female, 24.7% |
| Race ratio | 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% | Black or African American, 8.6% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.3% Asian, 10.7% White, 62.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 9% |