How To Become A Unix Administrator: What It Is and Career Path

What is a unix administrator and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a unix administrator. For example, did you know that they make an average of $40.0 an hour? That's $83,208 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 5% and produce 18,200 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreUnix AdministratorUS Average

Salary

6.5

Avg. Salary $83,208

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

5.7

Growth rate 5%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

3.6

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.31%

Asian 13.66%

Black or African American 7.85%

Hispanic or Latino 11.57%

Unknown 5.00%

White 61.61%

Gender

female 10.97%

male 89.03%

Age - 42

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 42

Stress level

5.7

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

6.7

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

7.1

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a unix administrator

Explore unix administrator education requirements

Most common unix administrator degrees

Bachelor's

70.6 %

Associate

14.4 %

Master's

11.1 %

Start to develop specific unix administrator skills

Skills	Percentages
Linux Servers	6.54%
Solaris	5.25%
SAN	4.27%
OS	4.13%
Database	3.59%

Complete relevant unix administrator training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New unix administrators learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a unix administrator based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real unix administrator resumes.

Research unix administrator duties and responsibilities

Manage NIS, LDAP and DNS environment files to maintain security and accessibility to systems.
Develop Linux shell scripts to accomplish redundant tasks to simplify in distribute administration.
Configure and administer network protocols and software including TCP/IP, NIS, DNS, NFS and SMB.
Do all UNIX server and EMC software installation and hardware configuration for UNIX servers.

Prepare your unix administrator resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your unix administrator resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a unix administrator resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable unix administrator resume templates

Build a professional unix administrator resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your unix administrator resume.