Computer and Mathematical · Holland code CIR

Computer Systems Engineers/Architects

Design and develop solutions to complex applications problems, system administration issues, or network concerns. Perform systems management and integration functions.

Also called: Infrastructure Engineer, IT Architect (Information Technology Architect), Solutions Architect, Systems Engineer, IT Engineer (Information Technology Engineer), Network and Infrastructure Engineer, Systems Application Engineer, Systems Architect.

O*NET 15-1299.08

At a glance

US median annual pay: $116,580; Middle half earn $79,370 to $157,500. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Most common education: Post-Secondary Certificate; 41% of workers surveyed by O*NET report this level.
Preparation needed: Job Zone 3 of 5; Medium preparation. Zone 1 is little or none; zone 5 is graduate-level.

What the work involves

The tasks workers in this occupation rate as most important, from the O*NET survey.

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.
Direct the installation of operating systems, network or application software, or computer or network hardware.
Monitor system operation to detect potential problems.
Identify system data, hardware, or software components required to meet user needs.
Perform ongoing hardware and software maintenance operations, including installing or upgrading hardware or software.

Skills and knowledge it leans on

Skills

Reading Comprehension4.0 / 5
Active Listening4.0 / 5
Critical Thinking4.0 / 5
Writing3.9 / 5
Speaking3.9 / 5
Active Learning3.6 / 5

Knowledge areas

Computers and Electronics4.9 / 5
English Language4.1 / 5
Telecommunications4.0 / 5
Customer and Personal Service3.9 / 5
Engineering and Technology3.8 / 5
Administration and Management3.3 / 5

Importance ratings on O*NET’s 1 to 5 scale. Higher means the occupation depends on it more.

Who tends to enjoy it

How strongly this occupation draws on each of the six Holland interest types, which is the same profile the career interests test compares you against.

Realistic52
Investigative74
Artistic15
Social18
Enterprising34
Conventional79

The same work abroad

Other countries classify jobs differently, so these are the closest matches through the international ISCO-08 standard, not exact equivalents.

European occupation titles (ESCO)

ICT system architect · DE IT-Systemarchitekt/IT-Systemarchitektin · FR concepteur de systèmes informatiques/conceptrice de systèmes informatiques
ICT system developer · DE IT-Systementwickler/IT-Systementwicklerin · FR développeur de systèmes informatiques/développeuse de systèmes informatiques
integration engineer · DE Fachinformatiker der Fachrichtung Systemintegration/Fachinformatikerin der Fachrichtung Systemintegration · FR ingénieur intégration/ingénieure intégration
enterprise architect · DE Enterprise Architecture Manager/Enterprise Architecture Managerin · FR architecte d’entreprise
software architect · DE Softwarearchitekt/Softwarearchitektin · FR concepteur de logiciels/conceptrice de logiciels
software developer · DE Softwareentwickler/Softwareentwicklerin · FR développeur de logiciels/développeuse de logiciels

Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)

IT network professionals (2137)33,500 employed
IT business analysts, architects and systems designers (2133)212,200 employed
Programmers and software development professionals (2134)543,400 employed

Employment is the UK Annual Population Survey for April 2025 to March 2026, all workers in the group, which can be broader than this one occupation.

Pay across Europe, for the whole group

Median annual earnings of all employees in “Professionals”. This is the broad ISCO group this occupation falls in, not the occupation itself, so treat it as context for the wage level, not as a salary for this job.

Median annual earnings, Professionals, by country
Country	Median pay
Belgium	€61,714
Germany	€59,529
Ireland	€56,877
Austria	€55,374
Netherlands	€53,595
Sweden	€43,567
France	€41,515
Spain	€35,735
Italy	€33,649
Portugal	€26,072
Poland	€14,380

Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey, businesses with ten or more employees outside public administration, in euro and not adjusted for the cost of living. Reference years differ between sources: the US, Japan and Europe figures on this page come from different survey years, so compare them as rough levels, not to the euro or yen.

Is it a fit for you?

Interest is one input, alongside ability, pay and what is hiring near you. The career interests test takes about thirteen minutes and ranks occupations by how closely their profile matches yours.

Take the career interests test