Systems administrator vs senior unix systems administrator

The differences between systems administrators and senior unix 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 systems administrator and a senior unix systems administrator. Additionally, a senior unix systems administrator has an average salary of $116,752, which is higher than the $77,156 average annual salary of a systems administrator.

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

Systems administrator vs senior unix systems administrator overview

	Systems Administrator	Senior Unix Systems Administrator
Yearly salary	$77,156	$116,752
Hourly rate	$37.09	$56.13
Growth rate	5%	5%
Number of jobs	134,500	107,049
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 60%	Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Average age	43	43
Years of experience	2	2

Systems administrator vs senior unix systems administrator salary

Systems administrators and senior unix systems administrators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Systems Administrator	Senior Unix Systems Administrator
Average salary	$77,156	$116,752
Salary range	Between $59,000 And $100,000	Between $90,000 And $150,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	Bothell, WA
Highest paying state	California	Washington
Best paying company	Meta	PayPal
Best paying industry	Technology	Finance

Differences between systems administrator and senior unix systems administrator education

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

	Systems Administrator	Senior Unix Systems Administrator
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 60%	Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Most common major	Computer Science	Computer Science
Most common college	Massachusetts Institute of Technology	Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Systems administrator vs senior unix systems administrator demographics

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

	Systems Administrator	Senior Unix Systems Administrator
Average age	43	43
Gender ratio	Male, 83.9% Female, 16.1%	Male, 89.4% Female, 10.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.6% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.3% Asian, 11.5% White, 62.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%	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%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between systems administrator and senior unix systems administrator duties and responsibilities

Systems administrator example responsibilities.

Used Jenkins to automate most of the build relate tasks.
Manage windows file servers, messaging, and SQL databases.
Lead the project which integrate internal DNS into the corporate LDAP infrastructure for end user host management prior to deployment.
Lead business-critical information security initiatives involving encryption of customer data.
Authore and maintain shell and Perl scripts to automate administration tasks for infrastructure management.
Configure & manage all switches and servers responsible for providing WLAN connectivity and authentication services.

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.

Systems administrator vs senior unix systems administrator skills

Common systems administrator skills

Linux, 7%
Troubleshoot, 7%
Windows Server, 6%
Database, 5%
Technical Support, 4%
PowerShell, 3%

Common senior unix systems administrator skills

Production Servers, 8%
Solaris, 6%
Troubleshoot, 5%
VMware, 4%
OS, 4%
Windows, 4%

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Systems Administrator vs Senior Unix Systems Administrator

Updated January 8, 2025

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