Senior unix systems administrator vs junior systems administrator

The differences between senior unix systems 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 a senior unix systems administrator and a junior systems administrator. Additionally, a senior unix systems administrator has an average salary of $116,752, which is higher than the $62,225 average annual salary of a junior systems administrator.

The top three skills for a senior unix systems administrator include production servers, solaris and troubleshoot. The most important skills for a junior systems administrator are windows server, troubleshoot, and technical support.

Senior unix systems administrator vs junior systems administrator overview

	Senior Unix Systems Administrator	Junior Systems Administrator
Yearly salary	$116,752	$62,225
Hourly rate	$56.13	$29.92
Growth rate	5%	5%
Number of jobs	107,049	154,134
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 68%	Bachelor's Degree, 58%
Average age	43	43
Years of experience	2	2

Senior unix systems administrator vs junior systems administrator salary

Senior unix systems administrators and junior systems administrators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Senior Unix Systems Administrator	Junior Systems Administrator
Average salary	$116,752	$62,225
Salary range	Between $90,000 And $150,000	Between $51,000 And $74,000
Highest paying City	Bothell, WA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	Washington	Washington
Best paying company	PayPal	Jacobs Engineering Group
Best paying industry	Finance	Finance

Differences between senior unix systems administrator and junior systems administrator education

There are a few differences between a senior unix systems administrator and a junior systems administrator in terms of educational background:

	Senior Unix Systems Administrator	Junior Systems Administrator
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 68%	Bachelor's Degree, 58%
Most common major	Computer Science	Computer Science
Most common college	Massachusetts Institute of Technology	University of Pennsylvania

Senior unix systems administrator vs junior systems administrator demographics

Here are the differences between senior unix systems administrators' and junior systems administrators' demographics:

	Senior Unix Systems Administrator	Junior Systems Administrator
Average age	43	43
Gender ratio	Male, 89.4% Female, 10.6%	Male, 88.4% Female, 11.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.0% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.7% Asian, 13.9% White, 61.2% 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 senior unix systems administrator and junior systems administrator duties and responsibilities

Senior unix systems administrator example responsibilities.

Install and manage DB2 servers on AIX.
Manage user accounts and groups on a large scale in LDAP and NIS environments.
Write shell, Perl, python, ruby scripts to automate daily repetitive activities.
Create and maintain shell and PERL scripts to automate and monitor within the UNIX environment.
Manage hardware replacements such as disks, modules, shelves on NetApp and BlueArc storage.
Team's lead change management process coordinator - manage changes, resources, and schedules during change windows.

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.

Senior unix systems administrator vs junior systems administrator skills

Common senior unix systems administrator skills

Production Servers, 8%
Solaris, 6%
Troubleshoot, 5%
VMware, 4%
OS, 4%
Windows, 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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Senior Unix Systems Administrator
Senior Unix Systems Administrator vs Junior Systems Administrator

Updated January 8, 2025

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