How To Become A Computer Systems Analyst: What It Is and Career Path

What is a computer systems analyst and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted experts

Dr. Ariful Azad Ph.D.,

Dr. Pauline Mosley

Primarily, the computer systems analyst serves as a bridge between business operations and IT. He/She ensures that all computer systems within an organization support the organizational goals. He/She evaluates various hardware and software to determine how they will improve the overall IT function. Also, he/she installs, deploys, and tests new systems. Besides that, he/she analyzes and audits existing systems to identify areas for improvement. Furthermore, he/she evaluates existing computer systems and develops new functionalities for them. Additionally, he/she collaborates with other personnel to determine ways to support the organization with IT systems.

Most computer systems analysts hold a bachelor's or master's degree in computer science, engineering, or a related discipline. To succeed in this career, you need time management, critical thinking, communication, and collaboration skills. You must be conversant with common programming languages. These experts make an average annual salary of $91,247. This varies between $63,000 and $132,000.

What general advice would you give to a computer systems analyst?

Dr. Ariful Azad Ph.D.

Director of Graduate Studies for the Dept. of Intelligent Systems Engineering, Assistant Professor of Intelligent Systems Engineering, Indiana University Bloomington

Look for a job that you would enjoy doing, even if it takes some time to find such a position. Internships are great to explore various options.

ScoreComputer Systems AnalystUS Average

Salary

6.5

Avg. Salary $82,655

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

5.3

Growth rate 9%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

5.5

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.19%

Asian 14.62%

Black or African American 10.15%

Hispanic or Latino 10.94%

Unknown 5.00%

White 59.10%

Gender

female 23.29%

male 76.71%

Age - 42

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 42

Stress level

5.3

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.3

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

4.8

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a computer systems analyst

Explore computer systems analyst education requirements

Most common computer systems analyst degrees

Bachelor's

59.3 %

Associate

21.7 %

Master's

11.7 %

Start to develop specific computer systems analyst skills

Skills	Percentages
Computer System	18.41%
Database	5.35%
C++	4.65%
C #	4.65%
DOD	3.83%

Complete relevant computer systems analyst training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New computer systems analysts learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a computer systems analyst based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real computer systems analyst resumes.

Research computer systems analyst duties and responsibilities

Manage inventory of forensic hardware and software utilities of forensic laboratory as well as maintaining forensic workstations and laboratory LAN.
Design and manage wireless infrastructure using WPA2 encryption and a centralize authentication using SSL and a user base lightweight directory database.
Work in a team environment coordinating projects and tasks between Unix desktop support technicians and Unix image lab personnel.
Used skills in .Net, Java, Php, MySQL, javascript and Ajax.

Prepare your computer systems analyst resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your computer systems analyst resume.

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