IT operations engineers are paid decently well but not as well, on average, as engineers in other fields, like development and security.

If you work in ITOps, that may come as a disappointment. The good news is that there are steps you can take to maximize your IT operations engineer salary.

IT operations engineers are responsible for deploying and managing applications and the infrastructure that hosts them.

They dont create the applications (thats a task for developers) or take the lead in security (which is a separate discipline). But IT operations plays the leading role in setting up IT environments and keeping them running.

As of 2022, IT operations engineers can expect to earn between $65,000 and $70,000 on average, according to sites like ZipRecruiter, Indeed and Glassdoor.

Average salaries for IT operations jobs in high cost of living areas, such as New York City and the San Francisco Bay region, skew a bit higher, into the mid-$80,000s. But even in those locales, few IT engineers earn six figures unless they are promoted to the IT management ranks.

Depending on your perspective, the salary ranges described above may or may not seem very impressive.

I imagine a fair number of folks early in their careers would be happy enough to make around $70,000. Its certainly higher than typical pay for recent college graduates, which is about $55,000.

On the other hand, if you compare IT operations engineer salary to those for other tech roles, working in IT operations seems less impressive. Software engineers earn nearly $110,000 on average, which is similar to salary estimates for security engineers. Site reliability engineers (SREs) do even better, with mean salaries of around $125,000 almost double those of IT engineers.

By the standards of the broader IT industry then, IT operations work doesnt pay especially well.

If youre an IT operations engineer (or aspiring to be one) who is unimpressed by typical earnings in the field, consider the following strategies for earning more.

In general, IT operations work requires only basic coding expertise. You usually need to know how to script and manage configuration files, but a lot of IT operations tasks can be performed without writing code (especially in Windows-based environments, where graphical administrative interfaces are widespread).

That said, more complex IT operations work often requires more advanced coding skills. For instance, if you want to take advantage of an everything-as-code approach to ITOps, which can help you work more efficiently in large-scale environments, youll need to know how to work with declarative programming languages such as Rego.

When you bring those types of skills to the table, you demonstrate more value to employers because you can do more for them in less time. In turn, you position yourself to earn more.

Along similar lines, Linux expertise is a type of skill that not all IT operations engineers possess. Its easier in general to learn how to point and click your way around Windows admin interfaces than it is to learn Linux CLI tools.

As a result, learning Linux is a great way to earn more in the IT operations field. Indeed, Linux engineers (who are arguably a type of IT engineer)earn around $110,000, quite a bit more than generic IT engineers.

Kubernetes is another in-demand technology that not all IT operations engineers know well. If you can help companies migrate their applications to containers and deploy them in Kubernetes, youre likely to command a much better salary than an IT engineer who only knows how to run monoliths and VMs.

Yet another example of an in-demand skill set is cloud computing. IT operations engineers who know how to deploy and manage applications in the cloud stand out from the crowd.

Learning the cloud means more than just understanding cloud computing architectures and concepts. If you really want to maximize your IT salary, gain hands-on experience using specific cloud tools and services like AWS EC2, S3, Lambda, EKS and CloudWatch (or their equivalents on whichever cloud platform your employer or prospective employer uses).

IT engineers and site reliability engineers do many of the same things (like deploying and managing applications), albeit in different ways.

What this means is that, if you already know IT operations, its not too hard to transform yourself into an SRE. In so doing, youll put yourself in a position to enjoy an SREs salary which, as noted above, is nearly twice that of an average IT operations engineer.

Consider doing IT operations work on a freelance basis to augment the salary from your main job. While the pay for freelance IT work can vary significantly, data shows that freelancers in general earn more per hour than they do in full-time jobs.

Plus, IT work tends to be easy to perform from anywhere with a flexible schedule. That makes it easy to land some side gigs doing work for companies that may not need a full-time IT operations engineer but do need help with their systems.

Of course, make sure your full-time employer is OK with moonlighting before you go down this route.

IT operations engineers dont earn as much on the whole as their counterparts in other technical roles. But by being strategic about which skills you choose to develop, you can make yourself an in-demand IT engineer and, in all likelihood, earn more in the process.

Excerpt from:

IT Operations Engineer Salary: What to Expect, and How to Earn More - ITPro Today

Modules in the first 2 years explore the fundamentals of mechanical engineering. Youll gain the skills to apply your theoretical understanding to a wide range of real design problems.

In years 3 and 4, you'll extend your knowledge and skills by taking part in both individual and group projects. You'll take specialist modules in automotive systems and engineering.

You'll take part in our award-winning induction programme and gain practical experience. Teams of new students work together to design and create. For example, you could take apart and put back together a 4 stroke engine.

The first year provides a background in engineering science, emphasising the mechanical engineering aspects. This includes a workshop training course.

Core modules cover topics such as:

You'll develop your design and programming skills, preparing you to design, build and test engineering systems, components and mechanisms.

You'll explore the main mechanical engineering subjects with tailored modules. This includes topics such as:

materials and structures

drives and machines

vibration

You'll also take part in a challenging design project, such as designing an autonomous robot or quadcopter.

You can apply to spend a semester abroad at the end of the year. We have several partner institutions that teach modules in English.

You'll undertake an individual project that usually takes the form of a design or research exercise.

You'll specialise in automotive engineering and study topics including:

manufacturing and materials

automotive power train and chassis systems

heat transfer and applications

automotive mechatronics

You'll also choose from a range of optional modules to focus or broaden your knowledge.

You'll take part in a group design project, these are often linked to current research activities or topics that have practical relevance to industry. You'll apply your conceptual engineering and scientific knowledge to an engineering design problem.

As a team, you'll develop your ideas through detailed design, experimentation, computer modelling and manufacture.

Youll have the option to study advanced topics, including:

Want more detail?See all the modules in the course.

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Mechanical Automotive Engineering | University of Southampton

Through this optical fibre course, you'll gain specialist knowledge of technologies that harness the power of light, such as lasers and optical fibres. You'll also master the engineering skills and business insight to apply your knowledge in this growth sector.

In 2017 we were awarded a Queens Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education, in recognition of our world-leading expertise in photonics and fibre optic technology.

If you've got a passion for physics and engineering materials, but want to keep your job opportunities open, this optics and photonics engineering course will allow you to explore both. Many of our students go on to study for a PhD, but many also go into industry, or set up their own business.

Youll be part ofan active, research-focused, postgraduate-only community; the largest photonics group in the UK. You'll also havea rare opportunity to see firsthand how fibres are made, as wereone of only a handful of universities with optical fibre production facilities.

During this MSc degree, you'll make photonic components and devices in ournew 1,200m2 cleanroom complex. This is thelargest multidisciplinary cleanroom of its type in the UK.

Our inventions can be found on the Moon, on Mars and on the International Space Station. We built the foundations of the internet and our research is powering changes in medicine, telecommunications, defence, renewable energy and manufacturing.

Some of the best photonics researchers in the world will support you to develop your research skills and youll gain hands-on experience of the many practical applications of optical fibres and photonics engineering.

You'll gainpractical insights into how to run a modern photonics business through our Industrial Showcase Week. During the week youll visit several businesses and learn from experienced photonics business leaders how to apply research and engineering skills to real-world problems.

Well foster your entrepreneurial spirit, helping you develop your ideas and connect with mentors and investors; 11 spin-out companies have so far been developed from our Optical Research Centre.

Bill Brocklesbystarted in research at the ClarendonLaboratory in Oxford, working on laser spectroscopy. He worked as a post-doctoral member of Technical Staff at AT&T Bell laboratories. His research has centred around novel imaging & microscopy techniques in the visible and XUV spectral regions over the last 10-15 years. He is currentlyworking on coherent diffractive imaging of nanoscale systems using XUV radiation generated by high-power ultrashort pulse lasers.

Dr Brocklesby was Project Manager of the ICANproject, conceived by Grard Mourou and Toshiki Tajima, which studied large-scale beam combination of ultrafast fibre lasers for wake-field acceleration. Large-scale beam combination remains a topic of interest.

He alsohas extensive research experience in:

The Course Description Document details your course overview, your course structure and how your course is taught and assessed.

Although the COVID-19 situation is improving, any future restrictions could mean we might have to change the way parts of our teaching and learning take place in 2021 to 2022. We're working hard to plan for a number of possible scenarios. This means that some of the information on this course page may be subject to change.

Find out more on our COVID advice page.

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Optical Fibre & Photonic Engineering | University of ...

The first 2 years are the same across our Aeronautics and Astronautics degrees. They focus on core aerospaceengineering science.

The course has the perfect balance between theory and practice, with several opportunities for practical engineering experience.

You will visit industry and research establishments and learn workshop training and research techniques.

You'll take an induction programme with all our Aeronautics and Astronautics students. This will give you your first practical experience and the opportunity to get to know your fellow students.

We'll develop your design and programming skills and teach you to build and test engineering systems, components and mechanisms.

You'll also learn manufacturing skills in our workshops so that you can make your ideas a reality.

Core modules include topics such as:

aircraft operations and flight mechanics

design and computing

electrical and electronic systems

mathematics

thermofluids

mechanics, materials and structures

You'll build on your core knowledge from the first year, and increases your focus on Aeronautics and Astronautics disciplines. Compulsory modules include:

aerodynamics

astronautics

mechanics of flight

propulsion

These modules feature hands-on teaching, using facilities such as our wind tunnels, turbojet and rocket engine.

Youll take a systems design and computing module, and participate in a team project to design, create and test a robot, drone, responsive system or other device.

At the end of the second semester youll take a flight test course, in which experiments are performed on board a Jetstream aircraft.

You'll deepen your understanding of aircraft design, including their environmental impacts. Core modules include:

You'll chooseoptional modules from topics including:

You'll carry out an individual research project using many of the concepts that you've learnt over the previous 2 years. For example, students have investigated how to deflect asteroids, use 3D-printedmetal jet engines, design Formula-1 race-cars and build bio-inspired unmanned air vehicles.

Want more detail?See all the modules in the course.

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Aeronautics and Astronautics | BEng | University of ...

Editors Note This is part of a conversation series highlighting outstanding Husker alumni on the University of NebraskaLincolns Medium page. Today, were featuring Taylor Winkelmann-Kerl. After a trip to the Strategic Air and Space Museum in elementary school, Winkelmann-Kerl was determined to become a rocket scientist. She came to Nebraska as a mechanical engineer searching for aerospace experience, and immersed herself in the aerospace field, gaining experience through undergraduate research and Aerospace Club. Today, that interest in aerospace has turned into a career as she works on the NASA Power PropulsionElement.

When I was in elementary school, we took a field trip to the Strategic Air and Space Museum that blew my mind. I remember looking at my dad at the end of the day (who had chaperoned) and telling him I was going to be a rocket scientist. Ever since then, I was the odd kid who set the goal and didnt waiver from it. I honestly cant remember ever wanting to be anything else. Im lucky that even once I learned what it actually meant to be an aerospace engineer, that I still enjoyed it and wanted to pursue it further. Im even more fortunate that the dream still lives on now that Im in theindustry.

The skills and experience I got from the Aerospace Club prepared me more than anything else for what its like in the industry world. The academic principles that we learned in class surely set great foundations and taught me ways to think about problems, but the actual application and execution of those academic endeavors came through in my extracurricular activities. When I started my job, I already had years of experience presenting to NASA design review boards due to the Aerospace Club and USIP, though I understand now that those review boards were much kinder to undergrad students than they are in real life. Ha! But in all seriousness, I had a jump start at understanding expectations and how to ask and answer questions in those crucial situations that every design engineer has to go through at some point, which has helped me set myself apart from mypeers.

My current role is acting as the Deputy Program Manager for Propulsion Development on the NASA Power Propulsion Element (PPE). PPE is one spacecraft of many that will create the lunar gateway, which will act as a space station around the moon. Gateway is a key component of the NASA Artemis mission that will put the first woman on the lunar surface and set our foundation to send humans to Mars. As the name indicates, PPE will provide the primary propulsion and power systems for all of gateway. We are developing the highest power electric propulsion system ever built to get to the moon and keep us in a stable orbit, paired with a state-of-the-art chemical propulsion system for agile control of the gateway stack. On top of that, the entire system will be refuelable for longevity and as a demonstration of the technology that will propel humans to Mars. My role is to guide the technical progress and execution for the entire propulsion and refuelingsystems.

Ive always thought that outreach and mentorship were highly valuable. Its always nice to have a friendly face to bounce ideas off of and its important to hear from people who live and breathe the thing that you are working to learn more about or better yourself in. Its even more important to have diverse groups of people in that mentorship network so that you can find someone you resonate with. I was/am always looking from folks to learn from and I think that its important to give that back. You never know when you might spark something great forsomeone.

I was totally shocked when I got the notification and honestly felt quite a bit of imposter syndrome. I work with so many brilliant people, both young and wise, whom I deeply respect. I have so much to learn from them and often look to some of my peers and think wow, I hope I can be more like you. So to hear that they recognized me as a leader was so humbling, exciting, and reassuring that Im on the rightpath.

It sounds harsh, but I learned to be OK with people underestimating me during my undergrad and I have to address that same sentiment nearly every day in my work life. As a young woman, young engineer, and young program manager, I often get talked over or dismissed in an aggressive and predominantly white male industry. What matters most is to keep working, keep pushing, and keep pursuing the passion because at the end of the day folks will come around and it will have been worthit.

Karen Stelling was (and still is) an adviser to the Aerospace Club that made a massive impact on my life. Karen was the type of mentor I needed. She came from industry; she knew what life was like outside of academia, and could provide real life context to problem-solving. She was a leader, a woman in the field, and genuinely, a kind and approachable person. She taught me so much about acknowledging that there are different versions of success, learning how to lead people and technical progress. I could go on and on I look back on my time at Nebraska and the story would not be complete withoutKaren.

You have to get involved outside of the classroom. There is so much more to being a productive teammate and human outside of college than academic excellence! Find something that fuels you and allows you to grow in other areas besides your books. Itll boost your resume, make your life easier down the road, and hopefully, you will have some fun while youre atit.

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Engineering grad takes aerospace interest to NASA | Nebraska Today | University of NebraskaLincoln - Nebraska Today