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The differences between systems support 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 systems support engineer and a principal systems engineer. Additionally, a principal systems engineer has an average salary of $133,208, which is higher than the $82,561 average annual salary of a systems support engineer.
The top three skills for a systems support engineer include linux, troubleshoot and technical support. The most important skills for a principal systems engineer are systems engineering, DOD, and C++.
| Systems Support Engineer | Principal Systems Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $82,561 | $133,208 |
| Hourly rate | $39.69 | $64.04 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 182,434 | 146,444 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
Systems support engineers are information technology professionals who are responsible for building and maintaining the IT infrastructure of an organization. They are required to provide network administration and technical support to identify complex problem issues and come up with solutions to solve them. They must assist the system support engineers in accomplishing any projects they are working with. They must troubleshoot servers, personal computers, and peripheral equipment while liaising with their customers. They must also create and maintain user accounts and implement group policy management through an active directory.
A Principal Systems Engineer supervises a group of other engineers in technical projects. They develop and lead systems engineering projects and efforts.
Systems support engineers and principal systems engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Systems Support Engineer | Principal Systems Engineer | |
| Average salary | $82,561 | $133,208 |
| Salary range | Between $62,000 And $109,000 | Between $97,000 And $181,000 |
| Highest paying City | Novato, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Apple | eBay |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Telecommunication |
There are a few differences between a systems support engineer and a principal systems engineer in terms of educational background:
| Systems Support Engineer | Principal Systems Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Northeastern University |
Here are the differences between systems support engineers' and principal systems engineers' demographics:
| Systems Support Engineer | Principal Systems Engineer | |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 89.5% Female, 10.5% | Male, 89.7% Female, 10.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.5% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.2% Asian, 11.5% White, 62.5% 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% |