Operations system administrator vs junior systems administrator

The differences between operations system administrators and junior systems administrators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both an operations system administrator and a junior systems administrator. Additionally, an operations system administrator has an average salary of $76,891, which is higher than the $62,225 average annual salary of a junior systems administrator.

The top three skills for an operations system administrator include technical support, linux and customer service. The most important skills for a junior systems administrator are windows server, troubleshoot, and technical support.

Operations system administrator vs junior systems administrator overview

	Operations System Administrator	Junior Systems Administrator
Yearly salary	$76,891	$62,225
Hourly rate	$36.97	$29.92
Growth rate	5%	5%
Number of jobs	173,494	154,134
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 58%	Bachelor's Degree, 58%
Average age	43	43
Years of experience	2	2

What does an operations system administrator do?

In the information technology industry, an Operations System Administrator is responsible for overseeing and maintaining computer systems, including software, hardware, and applications. They are responsible for supervising staff, spearheading installations and repairs, troubleshooting problems, diagnosing and resolving technical issues and concerns, and ensuring data security and safety by implementing back-ups, firewalls, and other protocols. Moreover, as an operations system administrator, it is essential to lead and encourage staff to reach goals while implementing standards and regulations to maintain the smooth flow of operations.

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.

Operations system administrator vs junior systems administrator salary

Operations system administrators and junior systems administrators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Operations System Administrator	Junior Systems Administrator
Average salary	$76,891	$62,225
Salary range	Between $59,000 And $98,000	Between $51,000 And $74,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	California	Washington
Best paying company	PayPal	Jacobs Engineering Group
Best paying industry	Utilities	Finance

Differences between operations system administrator and junior systems administrator education

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

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

Operations system administrator vs junior systems administrator demographics

Here are the differences between operations system administrators' and junior systems administrators' demographics:

	Operations System Administrator	Junior Systems Administrator
Average age	43	43
Gender ratio	Male, 76.2% Female, 23.8%	Male, 88.4% Female, 11.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.0% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.7% Asian, 9.5% White, 63.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%	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%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between operations system administrator and junior systems administrator duties and responsibilities

Operations system administrator example responsibilities.

Manage VOIP Digium phones for clients.
Manage and update share drive and SharePoint.
Manage DNS, SMTP for Webservers contacting customers.
Manage LDAP accounts on across the enterprise system.
Manage machines and accounts in active directory and dhcp.
Lead a team of 5 engineers providing PC support to 1,000 customers and implement PC disaster recovery efforts for 400 customers.

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.

Operations system administrator vs junior systems administrator skills

Common operations system administrator skills

Technical Support, 9%
Linux, 8%
Customer Service, 5%
VMware, 4%
SQL, 4%
Windows Server, 4%

Common junior systems administrator skills

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

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Operations System Administrator
Operations System Administrator vs Junior Systems Administrator

Updated January 8, 2025

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