What the numbers say about this work

Government occupation data for the role this maps to — Computer Systems Engineers/Architects (SOC 15-1299). This is planning context for the occupation, not a salary or a job this role guarantees you.

Median pay (occupation)

$116,580 / yr · $55,940 to $188,470 (10th–90th percentile)

Projected change (2024–34)

+8.2% · ~31.3k openings/yr

Typical entry education

Bachelor's degree

BLS OEWS — occupation-level, national BLS Employment Projections 2024–34 This role uses a broad O*NET-SOC/BLS occupation mapping. Treat salary, outlook, and task data as occupation-level evidence, not a guarantee for this exact job title.

What it pays by metro

The national median hides a wide geographic spread. Below is the occupation’s median in some of the highest-paying and largest-employment metros, adjusted for local prices — regional price-level context, not take-home pay or a salary this role guarantees you.

See all metros and how this is calculated → Sources: BLS OEWS (May 2025), occupation-level metro median ÷ BEA Regional Price Parities (2024, US=100).

What this work involves

The tasks the U.S. Department of Labor’s O*NET lists most central to this occupation — role-fit evidence to weigh against your background, not a measure of employer demand.

• Communicate with staff or clients to understand specific system requirements.
• Investigate system component suitability for specified purposes, and make recommendations regarding component use.
• Provide customers or installation teams guidelines for implementing secure systems.
• Direct the analysis, development, and operation of complete computer systems.
• Monitor system operation to detect potential problems.
• Direct the installation of operating systems, network or application software, or computer or network hardware.

O*NET — occupation-level

Skills that matter

The skills O*NET rates most important for this occupation. A starting map for what to build — weigh it against the specific job you’re targeting.

• Active Listening
• Critical Thinking
• Reading Comprehension
• Speaking
• Writing
• Active Learning
• Monitoring
• Learning Strategies

O*NET — occupation-level

What employers ask for right now

The skills and certifications employers most often name in a sample of 256public job postings for this role. Treat it as a to-learn list — it’s dated hiring language, not a count of open jobs, demand, or salary.

Most-named skills

• Kubernetes 176
• AWS 159
• Terraform 138
• Python 130
• Azure 103
• GCP 91
• Docker 86
• Linux 65
• Incident response 62
• Problem solving 61
• Ansible 56
• Cybersecurity 54

Certifications named

• Security+ 11
• CCNA 7
• CySA+ 2
• Linux+ 2
• PMP 1

Compare what employers ask across roles → Qualitative employer-language sample only; do not use as official demand, market-size, salary, or certification ROI evidence.