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The differences between systems support administrators and systems support analysts 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 support analyst. Additionally, a systems support administrator has an average salary of $86,448, which is higher than the $82,219 average annual salary of a systems support analyst.
The top three skills for a systems support administrator include troubleshoot, linux and SQL. The most important skills for a systems support analyst are troubleshoot, customer service, and database.
| Systems Support Administrator | Systems Support Analyst | |
| Yearly salary | $86,448 | $82,219 |
| Hourly rate | $41.56 | $39.53 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 192,994 | 161,168 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 54% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Average age | 43 | 42 |
| 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 support analyst is responsible for supporting the operations of the technology department of an organization, resolving network issues, and maintaining the safety and security of the system database. Systems support analysts must have excellent knowledge of the technology industry, identifying system process improvements, upgrading system infrastructure, and assisting end-users with navigation. They also create resolution reports for reference, including recommendations to prevent future inconsistencies and glitches. A systems support analyst conducts regular maintenance checks on the technology servers and immediately performs troubleshooting as needed for optimization.
Systems support administrators and systems support analysts have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Systems Support Administrator | Systems Support Analyst | |
| Average salary | $86,448 | $82,219 |
| Salary range | Between $67,000 And $110,000 | Between $58,000 And $114,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Jose, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Washington |
| Best paying company | Deft | Virtu Financial |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Finance |
There are a few differences between a systems support administrator and a systems support analyst in terms of educational background:
| Systems Support Administrator | Systems Support Analyst | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 54% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between systems support administrators' and systems support analysts' demographics:
| Systems Support Administrator | Systems Support Analyst | |
| Average age | 43 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 79.3% Female, 20.7% | Male, 70.4% Female, 29.6% |
| 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, 11.5% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.3% Asian, 12.5% White, 54.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 11% |