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The differences between senior systems architects and systems engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a senior systems architect has an average salary of $113,858, which is higher than the $82,834 average annual salary of a systems engineer.
The top three skills for a senior systems architect include java, scrum and cloud. The most important skills for a systems engineer are python, linux, and C++.
| Senior Systems Architect | Systems Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $113,858 | $82,834 |
| Hourly rate | $54.74 | $39.82 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 21% |
| Number of jobs | 143,269 | 145,936 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Average age | 44 | 39 |
| Years of experience | - | 2 |
It is the job of a senior systems architect to develop, enforce, and maintain servers under the goals of an organization. Senior systems architects assess the requirements of businesses and customers, design documents, and develop architectural approaches. The architects establish and interpret structural designs and serve as managers, advisors, and mentors. They take responsibility for providing technical advice for software development. Typically, they work onsite and in offices to ensure team cohesion and successful projects.
Systems engineers are responsible for creating and overseeing systems related to the overall operations of the organization. They are in charge of assessing the organization's needs in terms of systems and creating plans to address these needs. These systems are usually related to the production or manufacturing of company products. Systems engineers create end-to-end processes that ensure efficiency and effectiveness. They make sure that the processes they put in place adhere to safety and security policies and guidelines. They also do routine checks and continuously find ways to further improve production and other systems.
Senior systems architects and systems engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Systems Architect | Systems Engineer | |
| Average salary | $113,858 | $82,834 |
| Salary range | Between $83,000 And $155,000 | Between $62,000 And $109,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | The Citadel | |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Automotive |
There are a few differences between a senior systems architect and a systems engineer in terms of educational background:
| Senior Systems Architect | Systems Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | California State University - Long Beach |
Here are the differences between senior systems architects' and systems engineers' demographics:
| Senior Systems Architect | Systems Engineer | |
| Average age | 44 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 91.3% Female, 8.7% | Male, 86.1% Female, 13.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 8.8% Asian, 12.0% White, 67.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | Black or African American, 4.7% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 8.4% Asian, 29.7% White, 52.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 8% |