Network administrator vs senior network administrator

The differences between network administrators and senior 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 network administrator and a senior network administrator. Additionally, a senior network administrator has an average salary of $89,169, which is higher than the $71,357 average annual salary of a network administrator.

The top three skills for a network administrator include switches, windows server and troubleshoot. The most important skills for a senior network administrator are switches, routers, and troubleshoot.

Network administrator vs senior network administrator overview

	Network Administrator	Senior Network Administrator
Yearly salary	$71,357	$89,169
Hourly rate	$34.31	$42.87
Growth rate	5%	5%
Number of jobs	106,886	110,027
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 55%	Bachelor's Degree, 58%
Average age	43	43
Years of experience	2	2

What does a network administrator do?

A network administrator is responsible for managing an organization's computer systems, ensuring its smooth operations and highest efficiency. Network administrators' duties include inspecting network malfunctions, troubleshooting unresponsive programs, improving system processes, analyzing client's specifications, upgrading existing applications, coordinating with the technology department, and creating a report of network issues resolutions. A network administrator should display a strong command of programming languages. Extensive knowledge in the technology industry and analytical and problem-solving skills to manage network problems immediately is also necessary.

What does a senior network administrator do?

Senior Network Administrators provide system and network solutions for their organizations. They supervise the functioning of networking equipment and follow strict maintenance standards.

Network administrator vs senior network administrator salary

Network administrators and senior network administrators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Network Administrator	Senior Network Administrator
Average salary	$71,357	$89,169
Salary range	Between $56,000 And $90,000	Between $68,000 And $115,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	San Mateo, CA
Highest paying state	Washington	California
Best paying company	Google	Tesoro
Best paying industry	Finance	Finance

Differences between network administrator and senior network administrator education

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

	Network Administrator	Senior Network Administrator
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 55%	Bachelor's Degree, 58%
Most common major	Computer Science	Computer Science
Most common college	Massachusetts Institute of Technology	Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Network administrator vs senior network administrator demographics

Here are the differences between network administrators' and senior network administrators' demographics:

	Network Administrator	Senior Network Administrator
Average age	43	43
Gender ratio	Male, 88.6% Female, 11.4%	Male, 91.7% Female, 8.3%
Race ratio	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%	Black or African American, 9.0% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.7% Asian, 10.1% White, 62.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between network administrator and senior network administrator duties and responsibilities

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

Senior network administrator example responsibilities.

Lead IP management specialist and assist with management of DHCP scopes and reservations.
Establish and manage SharePoint base intranet for departmental and interdepartmental support.
Configure and manage SQL database archival requests for automate timely data submissions.
Configure and manage multiple data and application servers and maintain SQL relational databases.
Prioritize and manage servicing of customer trouble calls in locally develop tracking database.
Configure and manage company routers and switches in addition to VPN configuration and policy enforcement.

Network administrator vs senior network administrator skills

Common network administrator skills

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

Common senior network administrator skills

Switches, 8%
Routers, 5%
Troubleshoot, 5%
Windows Server, 4%
Network Infrastructure, 4%
Lan Wan, 4%

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Network Administrator vs Senior Network Administrator

Updated January 8, 2025

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