Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between wireless network engineers and senior network 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 wireless network engineer and a senior network engineer. Additionally, a senior network engineer has an average salary of $111,707, which is higher than the $101,117 average annual salary of a wireless network engineer.
The top three skills for a wireless network engineer include RF, wireless network and switches. The most important skills for a senior network engineer are switches, BGP, and OSPF.
| Wireless Network Engineer | Senior Network Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $101,117 | $111,707 |
| Hourly rate | $48.61 | $53.71 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 43,368 | 35,428 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A Wireless Network Engineer specializes in designing and developing wireless telecommunication systems and networks. They are responsible for understanding the client or company's needs, performing installations and upgrades, configuring wireless equipment, conducting assessments and inspections, troubleshooting problems, and performing corrective measures and adjustments as necessary. They must also create strategies to optimize local wireless networks, ensuring efficiency and smooth workflow. Wireless Network Engineers must manage and lead staff to reach goals, all while promoting and implementing the company's policies and regulations.
A senior network engineer is responsible for managing the organization's network infrastructure, handling advanced network issues, upgrading the system's design for optimization, configuring network features, and ensuring the network's highest security measures to avoid unauthorized access and suspicious activities. Senior network engineers work with network architects to implement network designs, run diagnostic tests, and create network solution reports for review and recovery reference. A senior network engineer must have excellent communication and organization skills and broad knowledge of the technology industry, programming languages, and system codes.
Wireless network engineers and senior network engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Wireless Network Engineer | Senior Network Engineer | |
| Average salary | $101,117 | $111,707 |
| Salary range | Between $77,000 And $132,000 | Between $85,000 And $145,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Washington |
| Best paying company | Meta | The Citadel |
| Best paying industry | Retail | Finance |
There are a few differences between a wireless network engineer and a senior network engineer in terms of educational background:
| Wireless Network Engineer | Senior Network Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | - |
Here are the differences between wireless network engineers' and senior network engineers' demographics:
| Wireless Network Engineer | Senior Network Engineer | |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 89.7% Female, 10.3% | Male, 93.2% Female, 6.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 7.9% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.7% Asian, 13.8% White, 61.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 8.2% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.9% Asian, 13.5% White, 61.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 9% |