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The differences between systems engineers and solutions 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 solutions engineer takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a solutions engineer has an average salary of $95,482, 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 solutions engineer are cloud, pre sales, and java.
| Systems Engineer | Solutions Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $82,834 | $95,482 |
| Hourly rate | $39.82 | $45.90 |
| Growth rate | 21% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 145,936 | 123,287 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Average age | 39 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 6 |
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.
A solutions engineer is an individual who assists customers in identifying their computer software needs and generates customized business software solutions for them. Solutions engineers collaborate with other department engineers to create practical demonstrations of proposed solutions and showcase them to the other members of the team. They are required to test the installed software and fix programming bugs that create errors with the system. Solutions engineers also maintain customer relations by providing post-installation follow-ups.
Systems engineers and solutions engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Systems Engineer | Solutions Engineer | |
| Average salary | $82,834 | $95,482 |
| Salary range | Between $62,000 And $109,000 | Between $68,000 And $134,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | The Citadel | ByteDance |
| Best paying industry | Automotive | Start-up |
There are a few differences between a systems engineer and a solutions engineer in terms of educational background:
| Systems Engineer | Solutions Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Computer Science |
| Most common college | California State University - Long Beach | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between systems engineers' and solutions engineers' demographics:
| Systems Engineer | Solutions Engineer | |
| Average age | 39 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 86.1% Female, 13.9% | Male, 85.1% Female, 14.9% |
| 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, 1.4% Unknown, 6.1% Hispanic or Latino, 6.9% Asian, 10.8% White, 74.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 7% |