Computer network administrator vs systems administrator

The differences between computer network administrators and systems administrators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a computer network administrator and a systems administrator. Additionally, a systems administrator has an average salary of $77,156, which is higher than the $69,113 average annual salary of a computer network administrator.

The top three skills for a computer network administrator include customer service, computer network and PC. The most important skills for a systems administrator are linux, troubleshoot, and windows server.

Computer network administrator vs systems administrator overview

	Computer Network Administrator	Systems Administrator
Yearly salary	$69,113	$77,156
Hourly rate	$33.23	$37.09
Growth rate	5%	5%
Number of jobs	96,276	134,500
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 50%	Bachelor's Degree, 60%
Average age	43	43
Years of experience	2	2

Computer network administrator vs systems administrator salary

Computer network administrators and systems administrators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Computer Network Administrator	Systems Administrator
Average salary	$69,113	$77,156
Salary range	Between $51,000 And $93,000	Between $59,000 And $100,000
Highest paying City	Redwood City, CA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	California	California
Best paying company	Google	Meta
Best paying industry	Manufacturing	Technology

Differences between computer network administrator and systems administrator education

There are a few differences between a computer network administrator and a systems administrator in terms of educational background:

	Computer Network Administrator	Systems Administrator
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 50%	Bachelor's Degree, 60%
Most common major	Computer Science	Computer Science
Most common college	Carnegie Mellon University	Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Computer network administrator vs systems administrator demographics

Here are the differences between computer network administrators' and systems administrators' demographics:

	Computer Network Administrator	Systems Administrator
Average age	43	43
Gender ratio	Male, 89.5% Female, 10.5%	Male, 83.9% Female, 16.1%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.1% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.8% Asian, 8.7% White, 64.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%	Black or African American, 8.6% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.3% Asian, 11.5% White, 62.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between computer network administrator and systems administrator duties and responsibilities

Computer network administrator example responsibilities.

Establish and manage SharePoint base intranet for departmental and interdepartmental support.
Administer network and routing protocols (TCP/IP, DNS, DHCP, SMTP).
Install and configure computer workstations and configure laptop computers for RAS and docking station connections on LAN.
Install, administer, and maintain networks with many servers, switches, routers, wireless access points, and firewalls.
Install and configure VPN client.
Administer electronic mail and SQL servers.

Systems administrator example responsibilities.

Used Jenkins to automate most of the build relate tasks.
Manage windows file servers, messaging, and SQL databases.
Lead the project which integrate internal DNS into the corporate LDAP infrastructure for end user host management prior to deployment.
Lead business-critical information security initiatives involving encryption of customer data.
Authore and maintain shell and Perl scripts to automate administration tasks for infrastructure management.
Configure & manage all switches and servers responsible for providing WLAN connectivity and authentication services.

Computer network administrator vs systems administrator skills

Common computer network administrator skills

Customer Service, 15%
Computer Network, 7%
PC, 5%
Switches, 5%
Troubleshoot, 5%
Desk Support, 4%

Common systems administrator skills

Linux, 7%
Troubleshoot, 7%
Windows Server, 6%
Database, 5%
Technical Support, 4%
PowerShell, 3%

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Computer Network Administrator vs Systems Administrator

Updated January 8, 2025

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