How long does it take to become a senior systems engineer?

It takes roughly ten years to become a senior systems engineer. Most senior systems engineers have an advanced degree and industry certification, including at least four years of relevant professional experience.

How much do systems engineers make?

Systems engineers make an annual average salary of $72,795, or $35 an hour. The average starting salary is $56,000. The highest-paid systems engineers work in San Francisco and in the telecommunication industry.

What is a senior systems engineer in Infosys?

A senior systems engineer in Infosys is responsible for designing, implementing, and managing software in order to meet client needs. Where a non-senior systems engineer might be tasked with daily maintenance activities, a senior role is responsible for all stages of the Software Development Life Cycle.

What qualifications do I need to be a systems engineer?

To be a systems engineer, you need technical, interpersonal, and problem-solving skills, though most systems engineers also earned their bachelor's, and some earn advanced degrees and certificates.

What is a senior systems engineer and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

5 min read

Quoted Experts

Edoardo Sarda Ph.D.,

Christian Hansen Ph.D.

A senior systems engineer is an experienced professional responsible for designing and maintaining complex computer systems. They work with software and hardware to ensure optimal system performance and collaborate with teams to identify technical problems. Senior systems engineers often lead projects, supervise junior engineers, and communicate with stakeholders to ensure that project goals are met. A senior systems engineer may work in various industries, including aerospace, defense, healthcare, and IT, among others.

What general advice would you give to a Senior Systems Engineer?

Edoardo Sarda Ph.D.

Assistant Professor, Robotics Engineering, Lake Superior State University

Flexibility has become a key asset for new graduates, due to the current COVID19 pandemic. Fortunately, engineers are still in high demand. Even fresh graduates may need to seek opportunities and accept positions working in areas that were not exactly what they had in mind while in college. Besides, the pandemic has created a reality where specific industries are struggling while others are booming. That will undoubtedly impact the demand for new engineers. Lastly, since the United States took a non-uniform approach to fight the pandemic, where every state is independently deciding how to reopen, leading to some states being stricter than others, in addition to new epicenters forming in different areas of the country at different times, new grads may not necessarily end up in the geographical location they may have originally planned.

ScoreSenior Systems EngineerUS Average

Salary

7.8

Avg. Salary $108,121

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

4.7

Growth Rate 21%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

4.0

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.17%

Asian 30.01%

Black or African American 4.35%

Hispanic or Latino 8.08%

Unknown 4.77%

White 52.63%

Gender

female 11.44%

male 88.56%

Age - 38

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 38

Stress Level

4.7

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

7.3

Complexity Level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

6.2

Work Life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

What are the pros and cons of being a Senior Systems Engineer?

Pros

Job security
Continuous learning and professional development
Flexibility in choosing projects and technologies
High demand for skills in the job market
Potential for remote work or flexible schedules

Cons

Responsibility for critical systems and potential for errors or failures
Need to collaborate with multiple teams and stakeholders, sometimes with conflicting priorities
Potential for conflict with management or clients regarding project scope or timelines
Risk of becoming too specialized in a particular area, limiting career growth opportunities
Need to constantly balance technical expertise with business acumen and communication skills

Key steps to become a senior systems engineer

Explore senior systems engineer education requirements

Most common senior systems engineer degrees

Bachelor's

68.6 %

Master's

15.9 %

Associate

11.0 %

Start to develop specific senior systems engineer skills

Skills	Percentages
Architecture	9.14%
Linux	5.09%
Java	4.23%
C++	4.05%
C #	4.05%

Complete relevant senior systems engineer training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New senior systems engineers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a senior systems engineer based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real senior systems engineer resumes.

Research senior systems engineer duties and responsibilities

Manage EMC Celerra NAS environment.
Implement CITRIX solution to support a centralize model for accessing and managing customer's financial software suite.
Manage many high visibility projects, including a project to upgrade all desktop computers for largest bank in the state.
File for exceptions on tickets that breach the SLA that have to go to upper management, and the managing agencies.

Get senior systems engineer experience

Generally, it takes 1-2 years to become a senior systems engineer. The most common roles before becoming a senior systems engineer include systems engineer, systems administrator team lead and network administrator.

Prepare your senior systems engineer resume

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