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

What is a unix systems engineer and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted expert

Professor David Sanford

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a unix systems engineer. For example, did you know that they make an average of $53.89 an hour? That's $112,085 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 5% and produce 18,200 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to a unix systems engineer?

Professor David Sanford

Associate Professor an Department Chair (MIS, CS, CYB MGT, IS CYB), Northwood University

Workers like that they are challenged to solve problems and lead technological innovations.
They appreciate the diversity of projects
They enjoy the need for continuous improvement and education
Many see the global impact of their work.
They also desire and appreciate the need for versatile skills
A competitive salary is also an item that employees like

Workers dislike that the work can be stressful
Dealing with tight deadlines and/ or cybersecurity concerns.
This is a positive and a negative: The need to constantly stay up to date with technology can be a bit overwhelming for some.
There may be times of isolation, and
The unexpected system failures can be frustrating as they often require extra hours or the need to be on-call.
The multiple responsibilities and managing repetitive tasks are also issues workers point out in this field.

In short, the workplace offers exciting opportunities but comes with its fair share of pressures and challenges. Different people have different experiences based on their roles and personal preferences.

ScoreUnix Systems EngineerUS Average

Salary

7.9

Avg. Salary $112,085

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 13.79%

Black or African American 7.92%

Hispanic or Latino 11.64%

Unknown 5.00%

White 61.35%

Gender

female 16.13%

male 83.87%

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 systems engineer

Explore unix systems engineer education requirements

Most common unix systems engineer degrees

Bachelor's

62.7 %

Master's

17.3 %

Associate

14.6 %

Start to develop specific unix systems engineer skills

Skills	Percentages
Python	5.47%
Windows	5.15%
Solaris	5.01%
Unix Systems	4.55%
Application Server	4.48%

Complete relevant unix systems engineer training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New unix systems engineers 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 systems engineer based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real unix systems engineer resumes.

Research unix systems engineer duties and responsibilities

Manage execution of multiple data conversion projects including database hardware replacements, SAN solutions for temporary and permanent storage of data.
Develop system administration tools and applications in sh, Perl, PHP.
Tune Solaris and Linux operating systems for optimal application performance.
Used VMWARE in this project as a virtualization tool.

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