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The differences between senior windows engineers and desktop 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 windows engineer and a desktop engineer. Additionally, a senior windows engineer has an average salary of $115,025, which is higher than the $102,893 average annual salary of a desktop engineer.
The top three skills for a senior windows engineer include powershell, infrastructure and windows server. The most important skills for a desktop engineer are customer service, SCCM, and troubleshoot.
| Senior Windows Engineer | Desktop Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $115,025 | $102,893 |
| Hourly rate | $55.30 | $49.47 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 79,815 | 87,458 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 53% |
| Average age | 43 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A senior Windows engineer manages an active directory environment. They must be a technical expert with mastery of Microsoft systems. They are responsible for providing design documentation, implementing new software, developing technology standards, and integrating active directory services.
A desktop engineer is responsible for monitoring the efficiency and performance of computer systems across the organization to deliver high-performance on business operations and client specifications. Desktop engineers resolve computer desktop issues, including navigation and security complications that create delays in the operational process. They conduct regular maintenance with the computer systems, upgrade network infrastructure, and perform configuration to ensure smooth functionality and resolutions. A desktop engineer should have excellent knowledge of the technology industry, recommending system solutions to avoid the reoccurrence of network issues and glitches.
Senior windows engineers and desktop engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Windows Engineer | Desktop Engineer | |
| Average salary | $115,025 | $102,893 |
| Salary range | Between $88,000 And $149,000 | Between $77,000 And $136,000 |
| Highest paying City | Alameda, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | CrowdStrike | Ropes & Gray |
| Best paying industry | Government | Finance |
There are a few differences between a senior windows engineer and a desktop engineer in terms of educational background:
| Senior Windows Engineer | Desktop Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 53% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between senior windows engineers' and desktop engineers' demographics:
| Senior Windows Engineer | Desktop Engineer | |
| Average age | 43 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 97.3% Female, 2.7% | Male, 88.7% Female, 11.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.0% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.8% Asian, 14.0% White, 60.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 11.3% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 15.8% Asian, 13.6% White, 53.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 11% |