How To Become An Internet Systems Administrator: What It Is and Career Path

What is an internet systems administrator and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted expert

Professor David Sanford

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being an internet systems administrator. For example, did you know that they make an average of $35.86 an hour? That's $74,584 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 5% and produce 18,200 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to an internet systems administrator?

Professor David Sanford

Associate Professor an Department Chair (MIS, CS, CYB MGT, IS CYB), Northwood University

Workers like that they are challenged to solve problems and lead technological innovations.
They appreciate the diversity of projects
They enjoy the need for continuous improvement and education
Many see the global impact of their work.
They also desire and appreciate the need for versatile skills
A competitive salary is also an item that employees like

Workers dislike that the work can be stressful
Dealing with tight deadlines and/ or cybersecurity concerns.
This is a positive and a negative: The need to constantly stay up to date with technology can be a bit overwhelming for some.
There may be times of isolation, and
The unexpected system failures can be frustrating as they often require extra hours or the need to be on-call.
The multiple responsibilities and managing repetitive tasks are also issues workers point out in this field.

In short, the workplace offers exciting opportunities but comes with its fair share of pressures and challenges. Different people have different experiences based on their roles and personal preferences.

ScoreInternet Systems AdministratorUS Average

Salary

5.8

Avg. Salary $74,584

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

5.7

Growth rate 5%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

3.7

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.31%

Asian 10.60%

Black or African American 9.08%

Hispanic or Latino 12.76%

Unknown 5.10%

White 62.15%

Gender

female 31.42%

male 68.58%

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

5.7

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

6.7

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

7.1

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become an internet systems administrator

Explore internet systems administrator education requirements

Most common internet systems administrator degrees

Bachelor's

48.3 %

Associate

23.4 %

High School Diploma

8.3 %

Start to develop specific internet systems administrator skills

Skills	Percentages
Customer Service	13.99%
Web Application	13.12%
Linux	12.39%
Unix	8.20%
SQL	3.61%

Complete relevant internet systems administrator training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New internet systems administrators 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 an internet systems administrator based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real internet systems administrator resumes.

Research internet systems administrator duties and responsibilities

Supervise content process owners and manage vendor relationships for intranet development.
Lead enterprise-wide virtualization effort, overseeing and personally completing vendor/hardware qualifications, architecture/design, installation, configuration, migration and documentation.
Install and maintain Slackware Linux DNS and routing servers.
Help maintain DNS tables on 3 DNS servers.

Apply for internet systems administrator jobs

Now it's time to start searching for an internet systems administrator job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams