Network support administrator vs network technician

The differences between network support 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 network support administrator and a network technician. Additionally, a network technician has an average salary of $68,938, which is higher than the $62,851 average annual salary of a network support administrator.

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

Network support administrator vs network technician overview

	Network Support Administrator	Network Technician
Yearly salary	$62,851	$68,938
Hourly rate	$30.22	$33.14
Growth rate	5%	5%
Number of jobs	164,554	79,712
Job satisfaction	-	5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 55%	Bachelor's Degree, 50%
Average age	43	43
Years of experience	2	2

Network support administrator vs network technician salary

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

	Network Support Administrator	Network Technician
Average salary	$62,851	$68,938
Salary range	Between $42,000 And $92,000	Between $51,000 And $92,000
Highest paying City	Santa Clara, CA	Urban Honolulu, HI
Highest paying state	California	Hawaii
Best paying company	Hologic	Apple
Best paying industry	Technology	Finance

Differences between network support administrator and network technician education

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

	Network Support Administrator	Network Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 55%	Bachelor's Degree, 50%
Most common major	Computer Science	Computer Science
Most common college	Stanford University	University of Pennsylvania

Network support administrator vs network technician demographics

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

	Network Support Administrator	Network Technician
Average age	43	43
Gender ratio	Male, 85.8% Female, 14.2%	Male, 87.3% Female, 12.7%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.0% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.7% Asian, 9.1% White, 63.8% 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 network support administrator and network technician duties and responsibilities

Network support administrator example responsibilities.

Manage VoIP and Cisco phone systems and set up Cisco lab for Cisco/CCNA program.
Manage cloud base hosting for clients including client's network DNS, office 365 and Google Apps.
Manage OS and hardware installations and configurations.
Support DNS and DHCP configuration for corporate and remote locations.
Monitor VMWare virtual machine's performance and disaster recovery replication jobs to Colo.
Perform dual functions within the company: PC and network support for internal staff and ISP support for external customer base.

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.

Network support administrator vs network technician skills

Common network support administrator skills

Windows Server, 9%
Switches, 6%
PC, 6%
Desktop Support, 5%
Technical Support, 5%
Network Printers, 4%

Common network technician skills

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

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Network Support Administrator vs Network Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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