Data systems technician vs systems administrator

The differences between data systems technicians 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 data systems technician and a systems administrator. Additionally, a systems administrator has an average salary of $77,156, which is higher than the $67,860 average annual salary of a data systems technician.

The top three skills for a data systems technician include computer system, user accounts and troubleshoot. The most important skills for a systems administrator are linux, troubleshoot, and windows server.

Data systems technician vs systems administrator overview

	Data Systems Technician	Systems Administrator
Yearly salary	$67,860	$77,156
Hourly rate	$32.62	$37.09
Growth rate	5%	5%
Number of jobs	158,555	134,500
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 45%	Bachelor's Degree, 60%
Average age	43	43
Years of experience	2	2

Data systems technician vs systems administrator salary

Data systems technicians and systems administrators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Data Systems Technician	Systems Administrator
Average salary	$67,860	$77,156
Salary range	Between $46,000 And $98,000	Between $59,000 And $100,000
Highest paying City	-	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	-	California
Best paying company	-	Meta
Best paying industry	-	Technology

Differences between data systems technician and systems administrator education

There are a few differences between a data systems technician and a systems administrator in terms of educational background:

	Data Systems Technician	Systems Administrator
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 45%	Bachelor's Degree, 60%
Most common major	Electrical Engineering	Computer Science
Most common college	Stanford University	Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Data systems technician vs systems administrator demographics

Here are the differences between data systems technicians' and systems administrators' demographics:

	Data Systems Technician	Systems Administrator
Average age	43	43
Gender ratio	Male, 87.9% Female, 12.1%	Male, 83.9% Female, 16.1%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.9% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.6% Asian, 8.8% White, 64.4% 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 data systems technician and systems administrator duties and responsibilities

Data systems technician example responsibilities.

Manage certificate revocation list, update expired certificates, ensuring DMS availability.
Promote to QC role within several weeks.
Enter client orders into system and run reports of delinquent customers.
Install, maintain and upgrade Pc's on a Novell network.
Enter information into DP3 system, run batch jobs to complete the process.
Support the successful rollout of borough applications and customizations using Novell solutions such as Novell Groupwise and Zenworks.

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.

Data systems technician vs systems administrator skills

Common data systems technician skills

Computer System, 12%
User Accounts, 7%
Troubleshoot, 5%
Preventive Maintenance, 5%
Level Troubleshooting, 5%
SQL, 5%

Common systems administrator skills

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

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Data Systems Technician
Data Systems Technician vs Systems Administrator

Updated January 8, 2025

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