Junior systems administrator vs systems administrator lead

The differences between junior systems administrators and systems administrator leads 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 systems administrator and a systems administrator lead. Additionally, a systems administrator lead has an average salary of $99,956, which is higher than the $62,225 average annual salary of a junior systems administrator.

The top three skills for a junior systems administrator include windows server, troubleshoot and technical support. The most important skills for a systems administrator lead are linux, project management, and windows server.

Junior systems administrator vs systems administrator lead overview

	Junior Systems Administrator	Systems Administrator Lead
Yearly salary	$62,225	$99,956
Hourly rate	$29.92	$48.06
Growth rate	5%	5%
Number of jobs	154,134	132,285
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 58%	Bachelor's Degree, 58%
Average age	43	43
Years of experience	2	2

What does a junior systems administrator do?

A junior systems administrator is primarily responsible for handling and maintaining systems for users while under the supervision of a more experienced systems administrator. Their responsibilities often revolve around assisting senior administrators, troubleshooting support, providing installations and configurations, and handling inquiries and concerns, providing them with corrective measures. Aside from support tasks, one may also have administrative duties such as producing reports and presentations, managing schedules, and maintaining accurate data of all transactions. Furthermore, it is essential to adhere to all the policies and regulations of the company.

What does a systems administrator lead do?

A systems administrator lead is responsible for planning, designing, and implementing procedures for critical enterprise systems. Typical duties of systems administrators include managing the day-to-day operations of a company's computer and network systems, developing new application and system implementation plans, and establishing guidelines for installing and managing the organization's computer operating systems. In addition, you are expected to ensure the security of computer systems by preventing unauthorized use, user abuse, and acts of nature.

Junior systems administrator vs systems administrator lead salary

Junior systems administrators and systems administrator leads have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Junior Systems Administrator	Systems Administrator Lead
Average salary	$62,225	$99,956
Salary range	Between $51,000 And $74,000	Between $77,000 And $129,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	Washington	California
Best paying company	Jacobs Engineering Group	Kabam
Best paying industry	Finance	Telecommunication

Differences between junior systems administrator and systems administrator lead education

There are a few differences between a junior systems administrator and a systems administrator lead in terms of educational background:

	Junior Systems Administrator	Systems Administrator Lead
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 58%	Bachelor's Degree, 58%
Most common major	Computer Science	Computer Science
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	Stanford University

Junior systems administrator vs systems administrator lead demographics

Here are the differences between junior systems administrators' and systems administrator leads' demographics:

	Junior Systems Administrator	Systems Administrator Lead
Average age	43	43
Gender ratio	Male, 88.4% Female, 11.6%	Male, 84.6% Female, 15.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.6% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.3% Asian, 12.1% White, 61.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%	Black or African American, 8.9% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.6% Asian, 9.7% White, 63.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between junior systems administrator and systems administrator lead duties and responsibilities

Junior systems administrator example responsibilities.

Manage Linux servers, running primarily CentOS.
Manage customer accounts and cases in Salesforce.
Load and manage customer provide encryption files.
Create, run and manage server back-ups monthly.
Develop PowerShell scripts to revamp and automate server build process.
Maintain and manage windows 2012 R2 in a virtual environment.

Systems administrator lead example responsibilities.

Manage all Citrix user connections and issues, print network, server environment and supplies.
Manage printers on the print servers and re-serve IP addresses for devices from the DHCP servers.
Manage software development group SharePoint portal.
Save company many hours of manual testing and developing by engineering Java applications to automate tedious tasks.
Manage development, manufacturing, test and delivery of custom broadband RF electronic test systems for military and aerospace customers.
Perform day-to-day management of system applications and services (NTP, DNS, LDAP, etc .).

Junior systems administrator vs systems administrator lead skills

Common junior systems administrator skills

Windows Server, 7%
Troubleshoot, 5%
Technical Support, 5%
System Administration, 5%
Switches, 5%
OS, 4%

Common systems administrator lead skills

Linux, 6%
Project Management, 6%
Windows Server, 5%
System Performance, 5%
Technical Support, 5%
Database, 5%

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Junior Systems Administrator
Junior Systems Administrator vs Systems Administrator Lead

Updated January 8, 2025

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