What is a Senior Network Administrator?

Senior network administrators are basically responsible for the management of the use of local area networks (LANs), wide area networks (WANs), and organization-specific networks. As a senior network administrator, you are to collect data to improve reliability and security. Your most important duty as a senior network administrator is to deploy and configure networks for organization-wide use. Furthermore, you are to lead teams of IT personnel and manage the workflow of this department.

Also, you are to improve system performance by developing and deploying performance-enhancing measures all through the network. In addition, you are to conduct data backup to ensure data stays intact and secure in case the system crashes. To be qualified for this role, you must have at least a bachelor's degree in either computer, information science, or related field. Some employers prefer candidates with master's degrees, though. The average annual salary of a senior network administrator is $90,792.

What Does a Senior Network Administrator Do

There are certain skills that many senior network administrators have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed analytical skills, communication skills and multitasking skills.

Learn more about what a Senior Network Administrator does

How To Become a Senior Network Administrator

If you're interested in becoming a senior network administrator, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 58.4% of senior network administrators have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 9.1% of senior network administrators have master's degrees. Even though most senior network administrators have a college degree, it's possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.

Learn More About How To Become a Senior Network Administrator
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Senior Network Administrator Career Paths

As you move along in your career, you may start taking on more responsibilities or notice that you've taken on a leadership role. Using our career map, a senior network administrator can determine their career goals through the career progression. For example, they could start out with a role such as information technology manager, progress to a title such as information technology operations manager and then eventually end up with the title information technology operations manager.

Senior Network Administrator

Average Salary for a Senior Network Administrator

Senior Network Administrators in America make an average salary of $89,169 per year or $43 per hour. The top 10 percent makes over $115,000 per year, while the bottom 10 percent under $68,000 per year.
Average Senior Network Administrator Salary
$89,169 Yearly
$42.87 hourly
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Roles and Types of Senior Network Administrator

The role of a senior network administrator includes a wide range of responsibilities. These responsibilities can vary based on an individual's specific job, company, or industry.Here are some general senior network administrator responsibilities:

  • Administration, setup and maintenance of windows servers,
  • Installing, maintaining and troubleshooting wan equipment between corporate sites
  • Provides system administration of network and communications systems; including; but not limited to; local area network (lan)

There are several types of senior network administrator, including:

Systems Administrator

Role:

Systems administrators are essential to most companies. So you could probably find a job almost anywhere. Which is great, especially if you're looking for a career with a lot of job opportunities. Of course, who's going to realistically turn down opportunity?

As a systems administrator, it's on your shoulders to keep the company servers up and working smoothly. Of course, there will be crashes you'll have to deal with. After all, that's why you're there in the first place.

When an employer looks for a systems administrator, they're usually looking for an individual who has a bachelor's degree. But that's not all. This isn't an entry-level position so you're going to need at least 3-5 years of experience under your belt as well. Once you get all of those checked off, you'll be well on your way to your dream career.

  • Average Salary: $77,156
  • Degree: Bachelor's Degree

Network Engineer

Role:

Network engineers design, develop, and maintain computer networks. They support clients and staff using the network babies, which may function internally within an organization or link to separate ones.

Network engineers are sometimes employed by companies as a member of their permanent staff on the IT team or might work for an IT consultancy firm.

As unfair as it sounds, network engineers usually do not get away with speaking only the computer language. They have to have great interpersonal communication skills as well, because a big part of their job is troubleshooting for digital dummies.

  • Average Salary: $83,557
  • Degree: Bachelor's Degree

Network Manager

Role:

A network manager is in charge of the computer system for an organization. The main duty of a network manager is to maintain a computer network with software, provide technical support, and train employees. Other duties include installing new hardware and software on workstations, monitoring systems to prevent lapses in service, and evaluating the current network to identify the areas that need to be enhanced or upgraded. The network manager also has to ensure that systems are working at all times and plan the budget and other financial aspects of the department.

For a network manager, you need to possess leadership skills and strong IT skills. You also need in-depth knowledge of all networks. Interpersonal skills, teamwork, problem-solving skills, and project management skills are vital to the role of a network manager. The minimum educational qualification is a degree in computer science, information technology, computer engineering, or other relevant fields. The median annual salary of a network manager is $106,254.

  • Average Salary: $97,578
  • Degree: Bachelor's Degree
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States With The Most Senior Network Administrator Jobs

Mouse over a state to see the number of active senior network administrator jobs in each state. The darker areas on the map show where senior network administrators earn the highest salaries across all 50 states.

Average Salary: Job Openings:

Number Of Senior Network Administrator Jobs By State

RankStateNumber of JobsAverage Salary
1California3,637$111,273
2Texas2,395$91,102
3Virginia2,063$86,994
4Florida2,011$74,482
5Maryland1,698$89,882
6New York1,393$89,395
7Illinois1,293$80,902
8Pennsylvania1,263$82,536
9Massachusetts1,198$78,533
10North Carolina1,165$80,561
11Colorado1,145$87,030
12Georgia1,033$85,511
13Ohio958$80,591
14Washington906$100,789
15Arizona861$91,226
16New Jersey823$87,576
17Minnesota684$85,139
18Michigan644$81,674
19Oregon584$96,961
20Missouri556$81,928
21Indiana539$69,925
22Alabama526$84,673
23Utah476$81,394
24Wisconsin468$78,662
25Tennessee467$97,340
26South Carolina447$97,257
27Connecticut354$79,718
28Iowa316$81,232
29Kentucky297$81,995
30Kansas290$85,639
31New Mexico278$82,976
32Nevada242$96,740
33Oklahoma241$85,219
34Nebraska230$72,055
35New Hampshire225$85,700
36Louisiana225$81,399
37Mississippi188$75,526
38Arkansas182$78,282
39Idaho176$93,621
40Hawaii171$86,062
41Alaska169$91,602
42West Virginia151$74,276
43Rhode Island145$80,167
44Delaware120$83,786
45Montana114$85,241
46Maine111$84,994
47Vermont111$79,888
48North Dakota106$77,054
49South Dakota95$97,786
50Wyoming69$78,985

Senior Network Administrator Education

Senior Network Administrator Majors

Computer Science
21.8 %
Computer Information Systems
12.6 %
Business
12.5 %

Senior Network Administrator Degrees

Bachelors

58.4 %

Associate

24.9 %

Masters

9.1 %

Top Colleges for Senior Network Administrators

1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-State Tuition

$51,832

Enrollment

4,550

2. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

3. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-State Tuition

$50,420

Enrollment

7,582

4. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

In-State Tuition

$55,695

Enrollment

6,596

5. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-State Tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

6. Georgia Institute of Technology

Atlanta, GA • Private

In-State Tuition

$12,424

Enrollment

15,201

7. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

In-State Tuition

$55,188

Enrollment

15,105

8. Georgetown University

Washington, DC • Private

In-State Tuition

$54,104

Enrollment

7,089

9. Dartmouth College

Hanover, NH • Private

In-State Tuition

$55,453

Enrollment

4,312

10. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-State Tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

Top Skills For a Senior Network Administrator

The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 7.5% of senior network administrators listed switches on their resume, but soft skills such as analytical skills and communication skills are important as well.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Senior Network Administrator Resume templates

Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use Senior Network Administrator templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your Senior Network Administrator resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.

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Senior Network Administrator diversity

Senior Network Administrator Gender Distribution

Male
Male
92%
Female
Female
8%

After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:

  • Among senior network administrators, 8.3% of them are women, while 91.7% are men.

  • The most common race/ethnicity among senior network administrators is White, which makes up 62.7% of all senior network administrators.

  • The most common foreign language among senior network administrators is Spanish at 38.2%.

Online Courses For Senior Network Administrator That You May Like

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Best States For a Senior Network Administrator

Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as a senior network administrator. The best states for people in this position are California, Washington, South Dakota, and Tennessee. Senior network administrators make the most in California with an average salary of $111,273. Whereas in Washington and South Dakota, they would average $100,789 and $97,786, respectively. While senior network administrators would only make an average of $97,340 in Tennessee, you would still make more there than in the rest of the country. We determined these as the best states based on job availability and pay. By finding the median salary, cost of living, and using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Location Quotient, we narrowed down our list of states to these four.

1. California

Total Senior Network Administrator Jobs: 3,637
Highest 10% Earn:
$149,000
Location Quotient:
1.04

$111,273

Avg. Salary

View 3,637 Senior Network Administrator Jobs In CA

2. Washington

Total Senior Network Administrator Jobs: 906
Highest 10% Earn:
$133,000
Location Quotient:
1.03

$100,789

Avg. Salary

View 906 Senior Network Administrator Jobs In WA

3. Oregon

Total Senior Network Administrator Jobs: 584
Highest 10% Earn:
$129,000
Location Quotient:
1.17

$96,961

Avg. Salary

View 584 Senior Network Administrator Jobs In OR
Full List Of Best States For Senior Network Administrators

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Top Senior Network Administrator Employers

Most Common Employers For Senior Network Administrator

RankCompanyAverage SalaryHourly RateJob Openings
1Bio-Rad Laboratories$121,894$58.609
2Ball$103,192$49.618
3Northrop Grumman$100,530$48.3311
4AT&T$98,918$47.568
5Capgemini$98,302$47.2610
6Accenture$96,757$46.5230
7Kaiser Permanente$96,688$46.488
8ITT$95,267$45.8032
9SAIC$92,298$44.3710
10HCL Global Systems$89,888$43.2216
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Updated April 6, 2023