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The differences between systems support administrators and assistant 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 support administrator and an assistant systems administrator. Additionally, a systems support administrator has an average salary of $86,448, which is higher than the $40,777 average annual salary of an assistant systems administrator.
The top three skills for a systems support administrator include troubleshoot, linux and SQL. The most important skills for an assistant systems administrator are customer service, patients, and payroll.
| Systems Support Administrator | Assistant Systems Administrator | |
| Yearly salary | $86,448 | $40,777 |
| Hourly rate | $41.56 | $19.60 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 192,994 | 104,311 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 54% | Bachelor's Degree, 55% |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
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.
Assistant systems administrators are responsible for supporting a team with their day-to-day operations of a company's computer systems and networks. They perform varied tasks, including monitoring, maintaining, and testing internet performance, ensuring the availability of computer networks for all users, and troubleshooting system failures and computer hardware and software issues. Assistant systems administrators may conduct training and support other network users within the organization. Additional tasks also include monitoring and evaluating the efficiency of operations and preparing systems and software documentation.
Systems support administrators and assistant systems administrators have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Systems Support Administrator | Assistant Systems Administrator | |
| Average salary | $86,448 | $40,777 |
| Salary range | Between $67,000 And $110,000 | Between $23,000 And $71,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Jose, CA | Chico, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Deft | City of Los Angeles |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a systems support administrator and an assistant systems administrator in terms of educational background:
| Systems Support Administrator | Assistant Systems Administrator | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 54% | Bachelor's Degree, 55% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between systems support administrators' and assistant systems administrators' demographics:
| Systems Support Administrator | Assistant Systems Administrator | |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 79.3% Female, 20.7% | Male, 38.6% Female, 61.4% |
| Race ratio | 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% | Black or African American, 9.0% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.7% Asian, 8.7% White, 64.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 9% |