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The differences between systems engineers and devops 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 systems engineer, becoming a devops engineer takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a devops engineer has an average salary of $104,019, which is higher than the $82,834 average annual salary of a systems engineer.
The top three skills for a systems engineer include python, linux and C++. The most important skills for a devops engineer are python, docker, and java.
| Systems Engineer | Devops Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $82,834 | $104,019 |
| Hourly rate | $39.82 | $50.01 |
| Growth rate | 21% | 21% |
| Number of jobs | 145,936 | 257,025 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 75% |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 4 |
Systems engineers are responsible for creating and overseeing systems related to the overall operations of the organization. They are in charge of assessing the organization's needs in terms of systems and creating plans to address these needs. These systems are usually related to the production or manufacturing of company products. Systems engineers create end-to-end processes that ensure efficiency and effectiveness. They make sure that the processes they put in place adhere to safety and security policies and guidelines. They also do routine checks and continuously find ways to further improve production and other systems.
DevOps engineers are practitioners of DevOps, a software development strategy that aims to bridge the gap between computer software development and information technology (IT) operations. They work closely with computer software developers and other IT staff to manage code deployments and releases. Their duties include overseeing the IT infrastructure supporting software code in different environments, choosing a suitable deployment model, and directing testing protocol needed to validate releases. Other tasks they may likely perform include preparing test data, analyzing results, and troubleshooting issues and problems.
Systems engineers and devops engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Systems Engineer | Devops Engineer | |
| Average salary | $82,834 | $104,019 |
| Salary range | Between $62,000 And $109,000 | Between $80,000 And $135,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | The Citadel | The Citadel |
| Best paying industry | Automotive | Start-up |
There are a few differences between a systems engineer and a devops engineer in terms of educational background:
| Systems Engineer | Devops Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 75% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Computer Science |
| Most common college | California State University - Long Beach | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between systems engineers' and devops engineers' demographics:
| Systems Engineer | Devops Engineer | |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 86.1% Female, 13.9% | Male, 86.2% Female, 13.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.7% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 8.4% Asian, 29.7% White, 52.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 4.6% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 8.4% Asian, 29.8% White, 52.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |