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The differences between application systems administrators and systems analysts can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become an application systems administrator, becoming a systems analyst takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, an application systems administrator has an average salary of $85,636, which is higher than the $75,383 average annual salary of a systems analyst.
The top three skills for an application systems administrator include troubleshoot, linux and problem resolution. The most important skills for a systems analyst are customer service, project management, and troubleshoot.
| Application Systems Administrator | Systems Analyst | |
| Yearly salary | $85,636 | $75,383 |
| Hourly rate | $41.17 | $36.24 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 141,894 | 141,289 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 6 |
An application systems administrator manages and maintains any system, network, or application in a company. It is the primary job of a systems administrator to inspect all systems, software, and applications, determine problem areas and apply troubleshooting measures, upgrades and repairs. It is also the task of a systems administrator to regularly update programs, pinpoint bugs and problematic codes, and relay them to a programmer to have them resolved. The systems administrator is part of a company's back-end staff and focuses on the operation and maintenance of all software-based processes.
A systems analyst is responsible for monitoring the effectiveness of technology systems and analyzing its efficiency for business operations and clients' needs. Systems analysts create specific modifications to operating systems and help design solutions and processes. Other tasks include managing the system's workflow, diagnosing and detecting malfunctions, performing troubleshooting, and assisting clients' with their concerns. A systems analyst must have excellent command with programming languages and the knowledge with the technology industry to understand systems' complexities and processes.
Application systems administrators and systems analysts have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Application Systems Administrator | Systems Analyst | |
| Average salary | $85,636 | $75,383 |
| Salary range | Between $65,000 And $112,000 | Between $58,000 And $96,000 |
| Highest paying City | Santa Clara, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Oregon | California |
| Best paying company | American Tower | The Citadel |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Finance |
There are a few differences between an application systems administrator and a systems analyst in terms of educational background:
| Application Systems Administrator | Systems Analyst | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between application systems administrators' and systems analysts' demographics:
| Application Systems Administrator | Systems Analyst | |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 76.3% Female, 23.7% | Male, 69.4% Female, 30.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.6% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.3% Asian, 12.5% White, 61.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 10.7% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.4% Asian, 14.4% White, 58.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 8% |