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The differences between 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 windows engineer and a desktop engineer. Additionally, a desktop engineer has an average salary of $102,893, which is higher than the $90,758 average annual salary of a windows engineer.
The top three skills for a windows engineer include powershell, SCCM and windows server. The most important skills for a desktop engineer are customer service, SCCM, and troubleshoot.
| Windows Engineer | Desktop Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $90,758 | $102,893 |
| Hourly rate | $43.63 | $49.47 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 72,366 | 87,458 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 53% |
| Average age | 43 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
Windows Engineers are responsible for the operations of developing, maintaining, and troubleshooting for all IT services hosted on the Windows operating system. Their duties include establishing the hosting of the Windows platform for the server, testing the Windows operating system, integrating the process of server automation as well as conducting checks for server status for both software and hardware. They are responsible for maintaining the environment of multi-site windows and managing client-server migration.
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.
Windows engineers and desktop engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Windows Engineer | Desktop Engineer | |
| Average salary | $90,758 | $102,893 |
| Salary range | Between $67,000 And $122,000 | Between $77,000 And $136,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | California |
| Best paying company | Bloomberg | Ropes & Gray |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Finance |
There are a few differences between a windows engineer and a desktop engineer in terms of educational background:
| Windows Engineer | Desktop Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | 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 windows engineers' and desktop engineers' demographics:
| Windows Engineer | Desktop Engineer | |
| Average age | 43 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 92.1% Female, 7.9% | Male, 88.7% Female, 11.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 7.9% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.7% Asian, 13.8% White, 61.3% 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% |