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The differences between senior systems engineers and solutions engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a senior systems engineer, becoming a solutions engineer takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a senior systems engineer has an average salary of $108,121, which is higher than the $95,482 average annual salary of a solutions engineer.
The top three skills for a senior systems engineer include architecture, linux and java. The most important skills for a solutions engineer are cloud, pre sales, and java.
| Senior Systems Engineer | Solutions Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $108,121 | $95,482 |
| Hourly rate | $51.98 | $45.90 |
| Growth rate | 21% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 166,742 | 123,287 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Average age | 39 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 6 |
A senior systems engineer specializes in overseeing network systems, management tools, software, and hardware within a company or an organization. Their primary responsibility is to install, maintain, and resolve complex system issues using their years of extensive knowledge and expertise. They can also provide insights, troubleshooting, and technical support should it be needed. Furthermore, as a senior systems engineer, it is also their responsibility to lead, supervise, and coordinate with a team of skilled system engineers while in adherence to company policies and regulations.
A solutions engineer is an individual who assists customers in identifying their computer software needs and generates customized business software solutions for them. Solutions engineers collaborate with other department engineers to create practical demonstrations of proposed solutions and showcase them to the other members of the team. They are required to test the installed software and fix programming bugs that create errors with the system. Solutions engineers also maintain customer relations by providing post-installation follow-ups.
Senior systems engineers and solutions engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Systems Engineer | Solutions Engineer | |
| Average salary | $108,121 | $95,482 |
| Salary range | Between $82,000 And $141,000 | Between $68,000 And $134,000 |
| Highest paying City | Redwood City, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | California |
| Best paying company | Roku | ByteDance |
| Best paying industry | Retail | Start-up |
There are a few differences between a senior systems engineer and a solutions engineer in terms of educational background:
| Senior Systems Engineer | Solutions Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Computer Science |
| Most common college | California State University - Long Beach | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between senior systems engineers' and solutions engineers' demographics:
| Senior Systems Engineer | Solutions Engineer | |
| Average age | 39 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 88.6% Female, 11.4% | Male, 85.1% Female, 14.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.3% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 8.1% Asian, 30.0% White, 52.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 1.4% Unknown, 6.1% Hispanic or Latino, 6.9% Asian, 10.8% White, 74.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 7% |