How to Become a Systems Engineer
by Ross Heintzkill | Published on November 26, 2024
Every organization needs well-oiled systems – you can imagine individuals, tools, technologies, networks, and processes as interconnected gears that keep everything running smoothly. Systems engineers are the IT professionals who design, build, and maintain these systems, ensuring they play nicely together.
Whether you're coordinating complex hardware and software setups or you're troubleshooting strange and unexpected issues, a systems engineer is vital for keeping businesses operational and efficient. Without systems engineers, the tools and technologies we depend on every day – communication platforms, data storage, cloud services – wouldn't function as smoothly as we need, or maybe at all.
What does it take to become a systems engineer? What kinds of skills, training, and certifications will you need before you break into the systems engineering field? What is the career path like? How much money does a systems engineer make? Follow along with us as we answer these questions and more.
What is a Systems Engineer? What Does a Systems Engineer Do?
A systems engineer is typically a mid-career or late-career position for versatile IT professionals. A systems engineer ensures that complex systems – hardware, software, or some combination – work together well and advance an organization's goals.
Systems engineers take a holistic approach to design, implementation, and maintenance, focusing on how different components of a technology system integrate into a whole. Without systems engineers, the many moving parts of an organization's infrastructure – servers, databases, cloud services, and user applications – would struggle to operate cohesively.
For example, a systems engineer might find a way to make a company's database, email system, customer relationship manager (CRM), telephone system, and project development timeline tracker work in tandem. It's not that those systems would break down without a systems engineer. It's that a systems engineer creates and maintains ways for those individual pieces of technology to come together and make better results than they each could do individually. "Greater than the sum of their parts" is the mantra of systems engineering.
On a daily basis, a systems engineer juggles a mix of strategic and hands-on tasks. They might start their day by troubleshooting a performance issue, ensuring that critical applications are running smoothly, or collaborating with stakeholders to better understand requirements for an upcoming system upgrade. They also plan and implement large-scale projects like setting up new servers, migrating systems to the cloud, or enhancing security postures. Systems engineers optimize existing infrastructure, document processes, and ensure systems are scalable and resilient.
Systems engineers must be technical experts in a wide array of tools, technologies, and processes. A short (and incomplete!) list of technologies a systems engineer has to be familiar with includes:
Operating systems, usually Windows or Linux
Virtualization technologies, like VMware
Cloud platforms, such as Azure or AWS
Scripting tools, like PowerShell and Python
There are also many soft skills involved with being a systems engineer, including strong problem-solving skills, accuracy in diagnosing underlying problems, and time-management skills for working under pressure.
On top of all that, a systems engineer often balances networking, database management, and cybersecurity technologies: comfort with those subjects is also important. A systems engineer is a versatile, broadly experienced technical expert. But every systems engineer started somewhere. If you're curious about broadening your IT skills, explore different paths you can take throughout your career.
Systems engineers are highly valuable assets for modern companies. The demand for systems engineers is typically higher in industries and companies with a higher technology footprint, or in companies that depend on multiple different networks or systems to be profitable, which is often found in healthcare, finance, manufacturing, IT, and telecommunications. The need for system automation, scalability, and reliability is exploding in those industries, and the role of a systems engineer has become more important than ever before.
Learning How to Become a Systems Engineer
Generally speaking, it can be hard to become a systems engineer without a bachelor's degree in systems engineering, industrial engineering, computer science, or a similar field. Many roles in IT don't require a degree, but systems engineering depends on a huge foundation of system design, integration, and analysis, and it's hard to pick it up without dedicated academic study. All that said, it is possible to become a systems engineer without a college degree by gaining substantial industry experience and proactively seeking out the right certifications.
The right certifications for a person who wants to become a systems engineer depend a lot on the technologies they use regularly, the networks and systems their employers use, and the type of industry they work in. Late-career certifications to consider include:
Cisco CCNP Enterprise: Designing, implementing, and managing complex network infrastructures that are integral to modern system architectures is a crucial part of becoming a systems engineer, and those are just some of the skills you gain by preparing for the CCNP Enterprise.
Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert: A systems engineer has to know how to design cloud and hybrid solutions for computer and networking storage, monitoring, and security, and earning the Azure Solutions Architect Expert proves you can.
VMware (Broadcom) Data Center Virtualization 2024: Systems engineers who support VMware networks must know how to design, deploy, and manage virtualized infrastructures, and earning the Data Center Virtualization 2024 proves you can manage efficient and scalable system architectures.
Red Hat Certified Engineer: Automating Linux, integrating emerging technologies, and applying automation for efficiency and automation to organizational processes and technologies is a basic requirement for systems engineers, and earning the RHCE proves you know how.
Becoming a systems engineer doesn’t follow a one-size-fits-all path. That makes it hard to accurately plan out the education, training, and certifications you should plan to earn on the road to becoming a systems engineer. The education, training, and certifications you’ll need depend on the systems and technologies the organizations you want to work for (or already do work for) rely on. To become a systems engineer, you should focus on understanding the tools your organization currently uses, research systems that might perform better, and stay informed on new and emerging technologies that may revolutionize the field.
While this might seem like a lot to manage, think of becoming a systems engineer as a continuous journey. Start by gaining hands-on experience with relevant systems and earning certifications that match your career goals. Over time, you’ll deepen your expertise, qualify for new opportunities, and position yourself for promotions and pay raises. The key is to treat learning as an integral part of your career, both before and after you become a systems engineer.
What is the Career Path for a Systems Engineer?
Most systems engineers don't start their careers in that role right away. In fact, it's a job that's so deeply dependent on experience and breadth of knowledge that getting a systems engineer job without a lot of previous experience in other IT roles would be a recipe for failure. Typically, becoming a systems engineer requires several years of experience with IT systems, networks, and/or software.
Many IT professionals begin their journey in entry-level IT positions that build out foundational knowledge and hands-on skills. Some of the starting roles for people who eventually become systems engineers include:
Help desk technician: Working as a help desk technician depends on basic skills in troubleshooting, problem-solving, and understanding hardware and software systems – those are all essential for eventually designing, integrating, and managing complex IT systems as a systems engineer
IT support specialist: The experience you gain as an IT support specialist builds expertise in resolving technical issues, managing system configurations, and supporting end-users – laying the groundwork for broader design and integration challenges systems engineers face.
System administrator: Working as a system administrator gives you hands-on experience with maintaining and optimizing servers, networks, and applications. This directly prepares you to design and oversee complex, integrated systems as a systems engineer.
Network administrator: As a network administrator, you gain critical experience in managing network infrastructure, troubleshooting connectivity issues, and ensuring system reliability – essential skills for overseeing the integration and performance of larger, more complex systems as a systems engineer.
Those jobs are good for gaining entry-level and basic IT experience, but many people who want to become a systems engineer already have a few years in the field. Moving to specialized roles that focus on system design and integration can help you learn about integrating complex projects as you deepen your understanding of how different systems interact.
Mid-career positions for someone who wants to become a systems engineer include Junior Systems Engineer, Network Administrator, or Infrastructure Specialist. Some of the mid-career certifications you can earn to show off your expertise as you diversify your work experience and become a systems engineer include:
CompTIA Network+: Foundational knowledge of networking concepts, troubleshooting, and infrastructure are essential for designing, integrating, and managing interconnected systems as a systems engineer, and preparing for Network+ earns you those and more.
Cisco DevNet Associate: Becoming a systems engineer means you'll need to eventually have skills in network automation, application development, and API integration, which you can learn by earning the DevNet Associate.
Microsoft 365 Certified: Administrator Expert: A systems engineer designs and manages comprehensive IT systems, and earning the Microsoft 365 Administrator Expert gives you skills in managing cloud-based productivity solutions, configuring enterprise environments, and ensuring system security.
Becoming a systems engineer isn't just about landing there and never leaving – many systems engineers go on to specialize their skills or move into leadership roles. Since becoming a systems engineer often goes hand-in-hand with automating system deployments and improving workflows, those specialized roles might be in fields like cloud architecture, cybersecurity engineering, or DevOps. Leadership positions might include roles like IT Director or Systems Integration Manager, where you might oversee teams and align system designs with business goals.
There are also alternate paths to becoming a systems engineer for people from different fields. For example, software development professionals might transition into systems engineering by focusing on application integration and system automation.
Network engineers and database administrators can also shift into systems engineering roles by expanding their skills to include system-wide planning and design. Regardless of where you start, the key to becoming a systems engineer is continually building skills and confidence with tools and technologies that drive system cooperation and performance.
Becoming a systems engineer is a journey that can be approached from different directions. Some people start at the bottom of the ladder while others come into it from a different field, but it tends to be a flexible and rewarding career path. With the right mix of experience, certifications, and a commitment to lifelong learning, you can become a systems engineer.
Systems Engineer vs. Network Engineer
A systems engineer and a network engineer keep an organization's IT infrastructure operating smoothly, but their focus areas and responsibilities differ. A systems engineer takes a broader view, integrating multiple different components into a unified and efficient system.
A systems engineer is focused on the big picture and the overall functionality of the IT environment, making sure that everything from servers to apps works together. Systems engineers often collaborate with multiple teams to design, implement, and manage systems that are aligned with business goals.
On the other hand, a network engineer has a more specialized focus on the connectivity between devices. A network engineer's primary responsibility is designing, setting up, and maintaining the networks that devices, systems, and users use to communicate.
Network engineers configure routers, switches, and firewalls to make sure that data transfer is fast, reliable, and secure. While a systems engineer might be looking at how all the organization's components are interacting with one another, a network engineer is focused on the pathways that make those interactions possible.
Despite being very different roles, systems and network engineers are closely related and often overlap. A system engineer might rely on a network engineer's expertise to ensure that new apps and systems function on existing network infrastructures. Or a network engineer might ask a systems engineer to understand how a network change could impact the broader IT environment.
How Much Does a Systems Engineer Make?
The exact salary a systems engineer can expect depends on their experience, job level, location, and the industry they're working in. Junior systems engineers can be hired very early in their careers, while senior systems engineers can be deeply specialized experts with decades of experience – but often they hold similar job titles. This makes a perfectly accurate estimate difficult. According to Glassdoor, A systems engineer's salary can range between $65,000 and over $130,000.
Experience Level | Average Salary |
Entry-Level (0-2 years) | $65,000 - $80,000 |
Mid-Level (3-5 years) | $80,000 - $100,000 |
Senior-Level (5+ years) | $100,000 - $130,000+ |
(Source: Glassdoor, [10/13/2024])
CBT Nuggets did a large research project to find out how much different IT jobs make, based on location and experience. Although systems engineers weren't a part of that research, there are findings for how much a network engineer makes, DevOps engineer salaries, and cloud engineer salaries. Those job positions aren't the same thing as a systems engineer, but comparing those findings can give you a sense of the market and what cities and industries are more competitive for advanced IT positions.
Becoming a systems engineer can be dynamic and rewarding, giving you chances to design, integrate, and manage complex systems that keep organizations running smoothly. As a systems engineer, you combine technical expertise with strategic thinking and make sure that hardware, software, and production processes work together. The path to becoming a systems engineer almost always starts with entry-level positions like help desk tech or sysad, but it evolves through hands-on experience, certifications, and technical knowledge.
The journey to becoming a systems engineer is often as fluid and flexible as the job itself. Some people proceed to it in a straight line from entry-level positions, while others come into it from related IT fields and specialty areas like cloud architecture or DevOps.
There are many certifications to earn along the way to prove your mastery of specific and general skills in systems engineering, from vendors like Cisco, Microsoft, Amazon, and CompTIA. Certifications prove a foundation of skill and knowledge in a versatile and challenging career, showing your readiness to become a systems engineer.
No matter where you are in your caterer, if you're inspired to become a systems engineer, there's a path for you to follow. If there isn't one laid out already, there are tools to help you build it on your own.
Explore online IT training, pursue industry certifications, and prepare yourself for promotions to roles that get you closer to becoming a systems engineer.
Here are some additional resources to help you on your journey: