Data network specialist vs network administrator

The differences between data network specialists and network 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 data network specialist and a network administrator. Additionally, a data network specialist has an average salary of $81,950, which is higher than the $71,357 average annual salary of a network administrator.

The top three skills for a data network specialist include switches, timely maintenance and business rules. The most important skills for a network administrator are switches, windows server, and troubleshoot.

Data network specialist vs network administrator overview

	Data Network Specialist	Network Administrator
Yearly salary	$81,950	$71,357
Hourly rate	$39.40	$34.31
Growth rate	5%	5%
Number of jobs	91,708	106,886
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 42%	Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Average age	43	43
Years of experience	2	2

Data network specialist vs network administrator salary

Data network specialists and network administrators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Data Network Specialist	Network Administrator
Average salary	$81,950	$71,357
Salary range	Between $54,000 And $123,000	Between $56,000 And $90,000
Highest paying City	Olympia, WA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	New Hampshire	Washington
Best paying company	JPMorgan Chase & Co.	Google
Best paying industry	Health Care	Finance

Differences between data network specialist and network administrator education

There are a few differences between a data network specialist and a network administrator in terms of educational background:

	Data Network Specialist	Network Administrator
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 42%	Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Most common major	Business	Computer Science
Most common college	Stanford University	Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Data network specialist vs network administrator demographics

Here are the differences between data network specialists' and network administrators' demographics:

	Data Network Specialist	Network Administrator
Average age	43	43
Gender ratio	Male, 81.8% Female, 18.2%	Male, 88.6% Female, 11.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.9% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.6% Asian, 9.4% White, 63.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%	Black or African American, 8.8% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.5% Asian, 9.6% White, 63.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between data network specialist and network administrator duties and responsibilities

Data network specialist example responsibilities.

Design, develop, and manage SharePoint sites on both classify and unclassify networks.
Maintain and manage a tactical network during military and combat operations, both in garrison and deploy.
Design, configure and run VMWare Vcenter servers to manage multiple ESXi host servers and optimize server resources.
Manage TCP/IP network, install and configure network peripherals, run DHCP clients and servers, and maintain WNS and DNS.
Ensure business continuity by managing and monitoring all infrastructure backups, and notifying business partners of fail backup jobs.
Assist customers, if necessary, with proper configuration of network devices to support VOIP implementation.

Network administrator example responsibilities.

Lead and manage desktop standards project.
Manage backups using EMC Networker and Avamar.
Manage Solarwinds to monitor servers and networks for all locations.
Manage all provisioning and technical issues for new customer IP blocks.
Deploy and manage storage (windows file servers and NetApp NAS).
Manage all technology: Novell, Microsoft, Cisco, email, library, labs, dorms, programs

Data network specialist vs network administrator skills

Common data network specialist skills

Switches, 9%
Timely Maintenance, 7%
Business Rules, 6%
Network Management, 6%
Data Network Systems, 5%
VoIP, 5%

Common network administrator skills

Switches, 7%
Windows Server, 6%
Troubleshoot, 5%
Network Hardware, 5%
Routers, 4%
Lan Wan, 4%

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Data Network Specialist vs Network Administrator

Updated January 8, 2025

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