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.
How to Become a Systems Administrator
What is a Systems Administrator
There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a Systems Administrator. For example, did you know that they make an average of $38.87 an hour? That's $80,851 a year!
Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 5% and produce 18,200 job opportunities across the U.S.
What Does a Systems Administrator Do
There are certain skills that many Systems 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 Problem-solving skills.
How To Become a Systems Administrator
If you're interested in becoming a Systems Administrator, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 60.2% of Systems Administrators have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 8.6% of Systems Administrators have master's degrees. Even though most Systems Administrators have a college degree, it's possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.
Choosing the right major is always an important step when researching how to become a Systems Administrator. When we researched the most common majors for a Systems Administrator, we found that they most commonly earn Bachelor's Degree degrees or Associate Degree degrees. Other degrees that we often see on Systems Administrator resumes include Master's Degree degrees or Diploma degrees.
You may find that experience in other jobs will help you become a Systems Administrator. In fact, many Systems Administrator jobs require experience in a role such as Technical Support Specialist. Meanwhile, many Systems Administrators also have previous career experience in roles such as Network Administrator or Network Technician.
What is the right job for my career path?
Tell us your goals and we'll match you with the right jobs to get there.
And if you’re looking for a job, here are the five top employers hiring now:
Systems Administrator Career Paths
In addition to switching up your job search, it might prove helpful to look at a career path for your specific job. Now, what's a career path you ask? Well, it's practically a map that shows how you might advance from one job title to another. Our career paths are especially detailed with salary changes. So, for example, if you started out with the role of Network Engineer you might progress to a role such as Network Administrator eventually. Later on in your career, you could end up with the title Manager, Systems Engineering.
Systems Administrator Jobs You Might Like
What is the right job for my career path?
Tell us your goals and we'll match you with the rights job to get there.
Average Salary for a Systems Administrator
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12 Systems Administrator Resume Examples
Build a professional systems administrator resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 12+ resume templates to create your systems administrator resume.
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Jacob Olson Systems Administrator |
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James Spencer Systems Administrator Experience Systems Administrator2013 - Present Lockheed Martin•Fort Worth, TX
Junior Systems Administrator2012 - 2013 Comcast•Chicago, IL
Software Support Technician (Part-Time)2006 - 2007 Comcast•Chicago, IL
Skills PowershellInfrastructureAWSDisaster RecoveryAssuranceInternetLANUnixHardwareActive Directory Education Bachelor's Degree Electrical Engineering2004 - 2007 University of Illinois at Chicago•Chicago, IL |
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Learn How To Write a Systems Administrator Resume
At Zippia, we went through countless Systems Administrator resumes and compiled some information about how to optimize them. Here are some suggestions based on what we found, divided by the individual sections of the resume itself.
View Systems Administrator Resume Examples And TemplatesAnd if you’re looking for a job, here are the five top employers hiring now:
Choose From 10+ Customizable Systems Administrator Resume templates
Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use Systems Administrator templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your Systems Administrator resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.
Find the best Systems Administrator job for you
Systems Administrator Jobs You Might Like
- High Paying Systems Administrator Jobs - $105K and Up
- Work From Home Systems Administrator Jobs
- Entry Level Systems Administrator Jobs
- Part Time Systems Administrator Jobs
- Actively Hiring
- No Degree Systems Administrator Jobs
Top Colleges for Systems Administrators
1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, MA • Private
2. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
3. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
4. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
5. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
6. Georgia Institute of Technology
Atlanta, GA • Private
7. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
8. Georgetown University
Washington, DC • Private
9. Dartmouth College
Hanover, NH • Private
10. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Find the best Systems Administrator job for you
Systems Administrator Jobs You Might Like
- High Paying Systems Administrator Jobs - $105K and Up
- Work From Home Systems Administrator Jobs
- Entry Level Systems Administrator Jobs
- Part Time Systems Administrator Jobs
- Actively Hiring
- No Degree Systems Administrator Jobs
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Top Skills For a Systems 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, 8.0% of Systems Administrators listed Windows on their resume, but soft skills such as Analytical skills and Communication skills are important as well.
Best States For a Systems Administrator
Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as a Systems Administrator. The best states for people in this position are Washington, California, Oregon, and Vermont. Systems Administrators make the most in Washington with an average salary of $96,136. Whereas in California and Oregon, they would average $94,475 and $91,934, respectively. While Systems Administrators would only make an average of $88,790 in Vermont, 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. Washington
$96,136
Avg. Salary
2. Vermont
$88,790
Avg. Salary
3. Oregon
$91,934
Avg. Salary
How Do Systems Administrator Rate Their Jobs?
Top Systems Administrator Employers
We've made finding a great employer to work for easy by doing the hard work for you. We looked into employers that employ Systems Administrators and discovered their number of Systems Administrator opportunities and average salary. Through our research, we concluded that Wipro was the best, especially with an average salary of $81,652. Amazon follows up with an average salary of $92,993, and then comes Tata Group with an average of $78,558. In addition, we know most people would rather work from home. So instead of having to change careers, we identified the best employers for remote work as a Systems Administrator. The employers include Salesforce, Rockwell Automation, and Jacobs Engineering Group
Systems Administrator Videos
Becoming a Systems Administrator FAQs
How long does it take to become a Systems Administrator?
It takes 5 years of professional experience to become a systems administrator. That is the time it takes to learn specific systems administrator skills, but does not account for time spent in formal education. If you include the normal education requirements to complete a college degree, then it takes 8 to 10 years years to become a systems administrator.
Do you need a degree to be a system administrator and why?
No, you do not need a degree to become a systems administrator. However, it will certainly help your chances of landing a job.
Only around 6% of systems administrators have just a high school diploma. While 45% of system administrators have a bachelor's degree and 29% have an associate's degree in network systems administration.
The major reason that employers seek out those with a degree is because being a systems administrator requires a strong understanding of multiple systems, including computer systems, hardware and software, networking, programming, and IT security.
How do I become a system administrator without a degree?
To become a systems administrator without a degree, learn the necessary skills and earn a certification.
Not having a degree does make it harder to land a position as a systems administrator. Around 6% of systems administrators have only a high school diploma.
While the most common path is to have a degree, another path requires learning a great deal about computer systems hardware and software, networking, programming, and IT security.
This information will provide the foundation for the skills needed to build and maintain network systems. After graduation, the next step is to take a certification in network systems. The gold standard is the Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA).
Once you're certified, you can then begin applying for entry-level positions. If you have trouble finding a job, you should look into working an internship.
How much money do system administrators make?
System administrators make an average of $63,510 a year. However, the range in earning potential can be as low as $52,370 a year to as high as $132,520 a year.
There is a high degree of variability in the potential earnings of a system administrator. One major factor in this is based on the location of the position does play a big factor in the range in salaries.
Top five states in pay for Systems Administrators:
Washington - $82,772na year or $39.79 an hour
New York - $78,432 a year or $37.71 an hour
New Hampshire - $75,901 a year or $36.49 an hour
California - $73,983 a year or $35.57 an hour
Massachusetts - $72,236 a ye as or $34.73 an hour
Bottom five states in pay for Systems Administrators:
Michigan - $58,381 a year $28.07 an hour
Mississippi - $58,352 a year or $28.05 an hour
Illinois - $58,097 a year or $27.93 an hour
Missouri - $57,156 a year or $27.48 an hour
North Carolina - $53,210 a year or $25.58 an hour
Is a systems administrator a good job?
Yes, being a system administrator is a good job. Systems administrators have great earning potential relative to the level of study required instead of some of the other disciplines in IT.
The need for systems administration positions is expected to grow 36% over the next ten years. There is a lot of pressure in some cases, granted, but the potential for earning a decent living is one of the great things about being a systems administrator.
Other factors that make systems administrator a good job are that it's relatively low stress, has a good work-life balance, and has solid prospects for being promoted and earning a higher salary.
What qualifications do you need to be a systems administrator?
The qualifications you need to become a systems administrator are a strong understanding of computer systems hardware and software, networking, programming, IT security, and either a college degree or technical certification in systems administration.
Systems administrators are a core technology role, which usually means that a person's technical skills and experience matter more than their formal education.
With that said, almost half of all systems administrators have a bachelor's degree in network systems administration. Another 30% have an associate's degree in the same area. It is important to establish some educational credentials, which at minimum would be a two-year degree.
However, another path is to teach yourself what you need to know via online training courses and programs. Study material should focus on computer systems hardware and software, networking, programming, and IT security.
This information will provide the foundation for the skills needed to build and maintain network systems. After graduation, the next step is to take a certification in network systems. The gold standard is the Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA).
Network Associate (CCNA) certification demonstrates your knowledge to deploy, maintain, secure, and operate a medium-sized network using Cisco technologies.
The Associate level of Cisco Certifications can begin directly with CCNA for network installation, operations, and troubleshooting and is a prerequisite to the Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP) certifications.