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The differences between senior systems engineers and systems support 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 systems engineer and a systems support engineer. Additionally, a senior systems engineer has an average salary of $108,121, which is higher than the $82,561 average annual salary of a systems support engineer.
The top three skills for a senior systems engineer include architecture, linux and java. The most important skills for a systems support engineer are linux, troubleshoot, and technical support.
| Senior Systems Engineer | Systems Support Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $108,121 | $82,561 |
| Hourly rate | $51.98 | $39.69 |
| Growth rate | 21% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 166,742 | 182,434 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Average age | 39 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
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.
Systems support engineers are information technology professionals who are responsible for building and maintaining the IT infrastructure of an organization. They are required to provide network administration and technical support to identify complex problem issues and come up with solutions to solve them. They must assist the system support engineers in accomplishing any projects they are working with. They must troubleshoot servers, personal computers, and peripheral equipment while liaising with their customers. They must also create and maintain user accounts and implement group policy management through an active directory.
Senior systems engineers and systems support engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Systems Engineer | Systems Support Engineer | |
| Average salary | $108,121 | $82,561 |
| Salary range | Between $82,000 And $141,000 | Between $62,000 And $109,000 |
| Highest paying City | Redwood City, CA | Novato, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | California |
| Best paying company | Roku | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Retail | Finance |
There are a few differences between a senior systems engineer and a systems support engineer in terms of educational background:
| Senior Systems Engineer | Systems Support Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| 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 systems support engineers' demographics:
| Senior Systems Engineer | Systems Support Engineer | |
| Average age | 39 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 88.6% Female, 11.4% | Male, 89.5% Female, 10.5% |
| 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, 8.5% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.2% Asian, 11.5% White, 62.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 9% |