Junior network administrator vs network technician

The differences between junior network administrators and network technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a junior network administrator and a network technician. Additionally, a network technician has an average salary of $68,938, which is higher than the $51,121 average annual salary of a junior network administrator.

The top three skills for a junior network administrator include windows server, troubleshoot and network hardware. The most important skills for a network technician are customer service, switches, and troubleshoot.

Junior network administrator vs network technician overview

	Junior Network Administrator	Network Technician
Yearly salary	$51,121	$68,938
Hourly rate	$24.58	$33.14
Growth rate	5%	5%
Number of jobs	121,498	79,712
Job satisfaction	-	5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 51%	Bachelor's Degree, 50%
Average age	43	43
Years of experience	2	2

What does a junior network administrator do?

Junior network administrators are entry-level information technology (IT) professionals who are responsible for assisting senior administrators to establish and set up new computer networks for an organization. These junior administrators are required to monitor computer networks while providing network security to avoid any suspected activities on the computer network systems. They are in charge of purchasing computer components and software that are needed for the daily operations of the organization. Junior network administrators must also educate their non-network employees so that they can properly use computers and perform timely maintenance.

What does a network technician do?

A network technician is responsible for system malfunction diagnosis and troubleshooting operations. Network technicians duties' include repairing damaged system components, analyzing computer systems and blueprints, installing network connections, and upgrading accessories for efficient operations. Other duties include assisting customers with technical issues, ensuring computer systems' privacy, creating documents of network issues and resolutions, and suggesting alternative equipment for network backups. A network technician must have a broad knowledge of the technology industry and mechanical processes, plus the ability to work under pressure with minimal supervision.

Junior network administrator vs network technician salary

Junior network administrators and network technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Junior Network Administrator	Network Technician
Average salary	$51,121	$68,938
Salary range	Between $39,000 And $66,000	Between $51,000 And $92,000
Highest paying City	Costa Mesa, CA	Urban Honolulu, HI
Highest paying state	New Jersey	Hawaii
Best paying company	Exegy	Apple
Best paying industry	Finance	Finance

Differences between junior network administrator and network technician education

There are a few differences between a junior network administrator and a network technician in terms of educational background:

	Junior Network Administrator	Network Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 51%	Bachelor's Degree, 50%
Most common major	Computer Information Systems	Computer Science
Most common college	Carnegie Mellon University	University of Pennsylvania

Junior network administrator vs network technician demographics

Here are the differences between junior network administrators' and network technicians' demographics:

	Junior Network Administrator	Network Technician
Average age	43	43
Gender ratio	Male, 87.7% Female, 12.3%	Male, 87.3% Female, 12.7%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.8% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.5% Asian, 11.3% White, 62.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%	Black or African American, 8.9% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.6% Asian, 9.4% White, 63.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between junior network administrator and network technician duties and responsibilities

Junior network administrator example responsibilities.

Design and implement VoIP offices, manage unity voice mail and unify messaging system.
Manage production switches and routers during manufacturing facility move to Mexico ensuring uninterrupt service at optimal levels.
Implement and manage clustered virtual machine environments, utilizing multiple operating systems to include server and workstations.
Provide assistance in integration of DNS, DHCP and other IP conflicts.
Key monitor for the maintenance and configuration of a DHCP and DNS server.
Plan and install new networks including servers, patch panels, switches, routers and modems as the customer need.

Network technician example responsibilities.

Install and manage DHCP servers including setting up DHCP scopes, enabling DHCP clients, viewing and managing active leases.
Manage city wide IIS deployment.
Manage Virtualization system, using ESX server/client.
Install, configure and manage Symantec Antivirus on all network computers
Use Symantec BackupExec to manage and maintain all server backups and file restorations.
Manage company Cisco series routers, switches, and ASA firewall integrate into MPLS network.

Junior network administrator vs network technician skills

Common junior network administrator skills

Windows Server, 7%
Troubleshoot, 6%
Network Hardware, 6%
Switches, 6%
Desk Support, 5%
Remote Desktop, 4%

Common network technician skills

Customer Service, 9%
Switches, 6%
Troubleshoot, 6%
Routers, 4%
Lan Wan, 3%
Lan, 3%

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Junior Network Administrator
Junior Network Administrator vs Network Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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