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The differences between senior technical system engineers and principal systems 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 technical system engineer and a principal systems engineer. Additionally, a principal systems engineer has an average salary of $133,208, which is higher than the $107,278 average annual salary of a senior technical system engineer.
The top three skills for a senior technical system engineer include infrastructure, cloud and architecture. The most important skills for a principal systems engineer are systems engineering, DOD, and C++.
| Senior Technical System Engineer | Principal Systems Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $107,278 | $133,208 |
| Hourly rate | $51.58 | $64.04 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 173,061 | 146,444 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
Senior Technical System Engineers manage the company's network systems and computers, including creating solutions to handle performance goals, network issues, and complex applications. They enhance the company's performance by planning and putting into practice infrastructure changes. These professionals oversee the daily operation support for network, storage, and server infrastructure. Other duties performed by Senior Technical System Engineers include building, patching, testing, and deploying complex channels and systems to meet the client's specifications and requirements. They also configure security settings for people and groups.
A Principal Systems Engineer supervises a group of other engineers in technical projects. They develop and lead systems engineering projects and efforts.
Senior technical system engineers and principal systems engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Technical System Engineer | Principal Systems Engineer | |
| Average salary | $107,278 | $133,208 |
| Salary range | Between $82,000 And $139,000 | Between $97,000 And $181,000 |
| Highest paying City | Sunnyvale, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Mayo Clinic | eBay |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Telecommunication |
There are a few differences between a senior technical system engineer and a principal systems engineer in terms of educational background:
| Senior Technical System Engineer | Principal Systems Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | California State University - Long Beach | Northeastern University |
Here are the differences between senior technical system engineers' and principal systems engineers' demographics:
| Senior Technical System Engineer | Principal Systems Engineer | |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 86.4% Female, 13.6% | Male, 89.7% Female, 10.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.6% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.3% Asian, 11.5% White, 62.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 8.3% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 12.1% Asian, 12.8% White, 61.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 9% |