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The differences between systems support administrators and systems administrator leads 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 a systems administrator lead. Additionally, a systems administrator lead has an average salary of $99,956, which is higher than the $86,448 average annual salary of a systems support administrator.
The top three skills for a systems support administrator include troubleshoot, linux and SQL. The most important skills for a systems administrator lead are linux, project management, and windows server.
| Systems Support Administrator | Systems Administrator Lead | |
| Yearly salary | $86,448 | $99,956 |
| Hourly rate | $41.56 | $48.06 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 192,994 | 132,285 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 54% | Bachelor's Degree, 58% |
| 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.
A systems administrator lead is responsible for planning, designing, and implementing procedures for critical enterprise systems. Typical duties of systems administrators include managing the day-to-day operations of a company's computer and network systems, developing new application and system implementation plans, and establishing guidelines for installing and managing the organization's computer operating systems. In addition, you are expected to ensure the security of computer systems by preventing unauthorized use, user abuse, and acts of nature.
Systems support administrators and systems administrator leads have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Systems Support Administrator | Systems Administrator Lead | |
| Average salary | $86,448 | $99,956 |
| Salary range | Between $67,000 And $110,000 | Between $77,000 And $129,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Jose, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Deft | Kabam |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Telecommunication |
There are a few differences between a systems support administrator and a systems administrator lead in terms of educational background:
| Systems Support Administrator | Systems Administrator Lead | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 54% | Bachelor's Degree, 58% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between systems support administrators' and systems administrator leads' demographics:
| Systems Support Administrator | Systems Administrator Lead | |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 79.3% Female, 20.7% | Male, 84.6% Female, 15.4% |
| 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, 8.9% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.6% Asian, 9.7% White, 63.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 9% |