How To Become A Systems Engineer/Architect: What It Is and Career Path

What is a systems engineer/architect and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted experts

Dr. Ariful Azad Ph.D.,

Christian Hansen Ph.D.

As a Systems Engineer/Architect, you will create and design computer applications and systems in order to support operations and enhance staff performance efficiency. You will be evaluating the structures and server features, ensuring smooth navigation and stability of these servers.

Being a Systems Engineer/Architect is not easy. There are specific skills and traits you also need to possess. For example, you need to have great analytical skills, excellent communication skills, and good problem-solving skills as a Systems Engineer/Architect. These skills all have something to do with people and information. You need to possess these traits in order to be qualified as a Systems Engineer/Architect.

As a Systems Engineer/Architect, you can earn around $86,061 per year on average, with a job growth rate of 5%. You also have the chance to take on other role and further your career if your start as a Systems Engineer/Architect. You can be a Solutions Architect, a Project Manager, and Infrastructure Project Manager.

What general advice would you give to a systems engineer/architect?

Dr. Ariful Azad Ph.D.

Director of Graduate Studies for the Dept. of Intelligent Systems Engineering, Assistant Professor of Intelligent Systems Engineering, Indiana University Bloomington

Look for a job that you would enjoy doing, even if it takes some time to find such a position. Internships are great to explore various options.

ScoreSystems Engineer/ArchitectUS Average

Salary

7.9

Avg. Salary $109,500

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

5.7

Growth rate 5%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

3.6

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.31%

Asian 12.78%

Black or African American 8.56%

Hispanic or Latino 12.26%

Unknown 5.06%

White 61.03%

Gender

female 13.77%

male 86.23%

Age - 42

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 - 42

Stress level

5.7

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

6.7

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

7.1

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a systems engineer/architect

Explore systems engineer/architect education requirements

Most common systems engineer/architect degrees

Bachelor's

65.2 %

Master's

16.2 %

Associate

12.0 %

Start to develop specific systems engineer/architect skills

Skills	Percentages
C++	8.73%
C #	8.73%
Database	8.39%
Cloud	7.49%
AWS	6.94%

Complete relevant systems engineer/architect training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New systems engineers/architects 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 systems engineer/architect based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real systems engineer/architect resumes.

Research systems engineer/architect duties and responsibilities

Manage DNS configuration as a sub-domain of MILNET web.
Write script to create Veritas vxfs volumes and to automate backup of all Unix filesystems on all systems.
Develop and integrate software that drives flight control system hardware and achieves product requirements for an international avionics customer base.
Standardize patch levels and updates for all Linux environments, coordinating OS and third-party applications.

Prepare your systems engineer/architect resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your systems engineer/architect resume.

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