1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, MA • Private
In-State Tuition
$51,832
Enrollment
4,550
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.
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 multitasking skills.
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.
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.
What Am I Worth?
The role of a systems 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 systems administrator responsibilities:
There are several types of systems administrator, including:
It is not surprising that many kinds of technology careers nowadays are very in-demand in almost every industry. That's why people are spending money studying technical skills to land a job that pays well in exchange for their expertise. But don't take it the wrong way, though. Being a computer expert isn't rainbows and rays of sunshine. You would probably get a lot of "WTF" moments during network failures and system downtimes. And worse.
A network administrator is just one of the many branches of technology. Network administrators manage troubleshooting procedures, requiring them to have both excellencies in technical skills and customer service. Most companies that need network administrators prefer to hire someone with prior experience, as this job has a lot of responsibility. Though they are usually working within regular business hours, a network administrator does not normally slouch until the end of the shift.
You thought scientists are the people who do experiments? You should see what a network administrator's day looks like. They actually search for the best methods to improve the network's condition and prevent system delays. If you're a frustrated scientist who always loved experiments, why don't you try your luck as a network administrator? Who knows, right?
Information technology administrators manage the day-to-day operations of IT systems to ensure that the systems run effectively. They handle computer or network hardware, software, and security. They analyze enterprise computing system needs and assess computer hardware and software. They design, execute, and maintain technical solutions to enterprise business problems. They extend technical end user support and train and mentor users on desktop application software. They also determine and secure sensitive corporate data.
An information technology administrator should have aptitude for technical activities, good communication skills, and be able to quickly understand complex problems and devise effective solutions. They should be willing to update their own knowledge of IT content.
To become one, you require a bachelor's degree in information technology or computer sciences. There are some self-taught IT specialists who might qualify for the job but they would have to prove their skills to the employer and might not get the same salary as the ones who have gone to college. On average, they earn $67,423 per year or $32.41 per hour.
Windows system administrators are professionals charged with the responsibility of installing, supporting and maintaining servers based on different organization's IT-related requirements. They are expected to provide reliable work environments where multi-user computers are associated with LAN network. They offer data security and maintain the stability of the system by responding to outages and other issues.
A Windows system administrator takes part in planning and implementing policies and procedures that are consistent with organization's goals. They should be thorough in their understanding of Microsoft applications and have an ability to communicate effectively with fellow staff and clients. They should also be capable of resolving critical software and hardware issues and be proficient in Windows networking.
A Windows system administrator works 40 hours a week. It is their duty make sure that computer systems are working around the clock. Some administrators may work overtime in the evenings and weekends to ensure systems are running.
Mouse over a state to see the number of active systems administrator jobs in each state. The darker areas on the map show where systems administrators earn the highest salaries across all 50 states.
Cambridge, MA • Private
In-State Tuition
$51,832
Enrollment
4,550
Stanford, CA • Private
In-State Tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
Cambridge, MA • Private
In-State Tuition
$50,420
Enrollment
7,582
Durham, NC • Private
In-State Tuition
$55,695
Enrollment
6,596
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-State Tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
Atlanta, GA • Private
In-State Tuition
$12,424
Enrollment
15,201
Ithaca, NY • Private
In-State Tuition
$55,188
Enrollment
15,105
Washington, DC • Private
In-State Tuition
$54,104
Enrollment
7,089
Hanover, NH • Private
In-State Tuition
$55,453
Enrollment
4,312
Evanston, IL • Private
In-State Tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
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, 7.4% of systems administrators listed linux on their resume, but soft skills such as analytical skills and communication skills are important as well.
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.
After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
1. System Administration and IT Infrastructure Services
This course will transition you from working on a single computer to an entire fleet. Systems administration is the field of IT that’s responsible for maintaining reliable computers systems in a multi-user environment. In this course, you’ll learn about the infrastructure services that keep all organizations, big and small, up and running. We’ll deep dive on cloud so that you’ll understand everything from typical cloud infrastructure setups to how to manage cloud resources. You'll also learn...
2. Linux System Administration with IBM Power Systems
This course introduces administrative tasks that a system administrator can perform with Linux hosted on IBM Power servers. This includes virtualization concepts such as logical partitioning, installation of Linux, command-line operations, and more interesting administration and device management tasks. This course includes hands-on exercises with systems from an IBM data center...
3. Fundamentals of Unix and Linux System Administration
Master Linux/Unix System administration through a practical and hands on approach...
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 California, Washington, Vermont, and Massachusetts. Systems administrators make the most in California with an average salary of $89,121. Whereas in Washington and Vermont, they would average $83,947 and $83,778, respectively. While systems administrators would only make an average of $81,432 in Massachusetts, 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. Vermont
$83,778
Avg. Salary
2. Washington
$83,947
Avg. Salary
3. Oregon
$80,357
Avg. Salary
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 $75,820. Amazon follows up with an average salary of $92,385, and then comes Tata Group with an average of $74,749. 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 Booz Allen Hamilton, Forcepoint, and Rackspace
Rank | Company | Average Salary | Hourly Rate | Job Openings |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | AT&T | $109,798 | $52.79 | 270 |
2 | Microsoft | $108,755 | $52.29 | 1,249 |
3 | SAP | $99,276 | $47.73 | 575 |
4 | Amazon | $92,385 | $44.42 | 3,342 |
5 | DXC Technology | $92,342 | $44.40 | 737 |
6 | Hewlett Packard Enterprise | $81,009 | $38.95 | 436 |
7 | US Air Conditioning Distributors | $80,155 | $38.54 | 311 |
8 | Lockheed Martin | $80,115 | $38.52 | 364 |
9 | United States Marine Corps | $80,115 | $38.52 | 299 |
10 | Robert Half | $79,656 | $38.30 | 489 |
A system engineer is someone who focuses on the implementation of a network system, while a system administrator is a professional who manages the ongoing support of a system.
System engineers deal mostly with the planning, design, design changes, and implementation of a network or system. Their job is to determine problems within specific systems. They provide solutions for issues they find in the process, including designing new systems, upgrading hardware, and maintaining an existing system.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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.