Senior system administrator vs senior network administrator

The differences between senior system 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 senior system administrator and a senior network administrator. Additionally, a senior system administrator has an average salary of $98,146, which is higher than the $89,169 average annual salary of a senior network administrator.

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

Senior system administrator vs senior network administrator overview

	Senior System Administrator	Senior Network Administrator
Yearly salary	$98,146	$89,169
Hourly rate	$47.19	$42.87
Growth rate	5%	5%
Number of jobs	100,873	110,027
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 62%	Bachelor's Degree, 58%
Average age	43	43
Years of experience	2	2

What does a senior system administrator do?

A senior system administrator specializes in overseeing the computer system operations in an organization. Their responsibilities primarily revolve around monitoring the performance of all software and hardware, installing servers, configuring systems, and making sure every technical aspect is running smoothly. Should there be any issues, they must take charge of troubleshooting and providing solutions. As someone with more experience, a senior system administrator leads and evaluates the performances of fellow skilled professionals in the department, all while adhering to the company's policies and regulations.

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.

Senior system administrator vs senior network administrator salary

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

	Senior System Administrator	Senior Network Administrator
Average salary	$98,146	$89,169
Salary range	Between $75,000 And $126,000	Between $68,000 And $115,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	San Mateo, CA
Highest paying state	California	California
Best paying company	Cambridge Associates	Tesoro
Best paying industry	Finance	Finance

Differences between senior system administrator and senior network administrator education

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

	Senior System Administrator	Senior Network Administrator
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 62%	Bachelor's Degree, 58%
Most common major	Computer Science	Computer Science
Most common college	Massachusetts Institute of Technology	Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Senior system administrator vs senior network administrator demographics

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

	Senior System Administrator	Senior Network Administrator
Average age	43	43
Gender ratio	Male, 89.0% Female, 11.0%	Male, 91.7% Female, 8.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.9% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.6% Asian, 11.8% White, 61.4% 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 senior system administrator and senior network administrator duties and responsibilities

Senior system administrator example responsibilities.

Manage and optimize the design and delivery of project associate with AIX arena.
Manage all installs and setup of new servers, and server upgrades to server 2008 R2.
Implement IIS servers for both the internal and external web servers and managing security on all web servers.
Design, implement, and manage a network and domain extension in a remote location via a secure VPN link.
Manage Cisco network equipment including firewalls and switches.
Administer and manage daily backups via Symantec NetBackup.

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.

Senior system administrator vs senior network administrator skills

Common senior system administrator skills

Linux, 7%
Windows Server, 6%
Troubleshoot, 5%
System Administration, 4%
PowerShell, 4%
SAN, 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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Senior System Administrator vs Senior Network Administrator

Updated January 8, 2025

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