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The differences between systems managers and systems support administrators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-8 years to become a systems manager, becoming a systems support administrator takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a systems manager has an average salary of $107,156, which is higher than the $86,448 average annual salary of a systems support administrator.
The top three skills for a systems manager include customer service, project management and patients. The most important skills for a systems support administrator are troubleshoot, linux, and SQL.
| Systems Manager | Systems Support Administrator | |
| Yearly salary | $107,156 | $86,448 |
| Hourly rate | $51.52 | $41.56 |
| Growth rate | 16% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 145,551 | 192,994 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 54% |
| Average age | 47 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 8 | 2 |
A systems manager is responsible for monitoring the operations of the information technology department, evaluating staff performance, developing strategic procedures to maximize productivity, and identifying business opportunities that would generate more revenues and profitability for the company. Systems managers inspect company networks to ensure the efficiency of the technology systems, conducting regular diagnostic tests, and installing upgrades to boost optimization. A systems manager must have excellent knowledge of the technology industry, as well as a strong command in programming languages and system codes to maintain the security of the company's database.
A system administrator acquires, installs, or upgrades computer software and components. System administrators perform routine automation of the computer system. They maintain the security policies of organizations or institutions. It is their job to supervise or train their staff or provide support for different projects. They also determine the problems found in the system, analyze the issues, and do repairs whenever necessary. The skills they need include scripting languages, security and monitoring, and account access management.
Systems managers and systems support administrators have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Systems Manager | Systems Support Administrator | |
| Average salary | $107,156 | $86,448 |
| Salary range | Between $75,000 And $152,000 | Between $67,000 And $110,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Jose, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | Deft |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Professional |
There are a few differences between a systems manager and a systems support administrator in terms of educational background:
| Systems Manager | Systems Support Administrator | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 54% |
| Most common major | Business | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Carnegie Mellon University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between systems managers' and systems support administrators' demographics:
| Systems Manager | Systems Support Administrator | |
| Average age | 47 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 76.8% Female, 23.2% | Male, 79.3% Female, 20.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.7% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 10.1% Asian, 12.6% White, 65.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 8.9% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.6% Asian, 10.1% White, 63.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 9% |