Windows system administrators are professionals charged with the responsibility of installing, supporting and maintaining servers based on different organization's IT-related requirements. They are expected to provide reliable work environments where multi-user computers are associated with LAN network. They offer data security and maintain the stability of the system by responding to outages and other issues.
A Windows system administrator takes part in planning and implementing policies and procedures that are consistent with organization's goals. They should be thorough in their understanding of Microsoft applications and have an ability to communicate effectively with fellow staff and clients. They should also be capable of resolving critical software and hardware issues and be proficient in Windows networking.
A Windows system administrator works 40 hours a week. It is their duty make sure that computer systems are working around the clock. Some administrators may work overtime in the evenings and weekends to ensure systems are running.
How to Become a Windows System Administrator
There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a windows system administrator. For example, did you know that they make an average of $41.24 an hour? That's $85,775 a year!
Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 5% and produce 18,200 job opportunities across the U.S.
What Does a Windows System Administrator Do
There are certain skills that many windows system administrators have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed analytical skills, communication skills and problem-solving skills.
How To Become a Windows System Administrator
If you're interested in becoming a windows system administrator, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 61.6% of windows system administrators have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 9.6% of windows system administrators have master's degrees. Even though most windows system administrators have a college degree, it's possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.
Choosing the right major is always an important step when researching how to become a windows system administrator. When we researched the most common majors for a windows system administrator, we found that they most commonly earn bachelor's degree degrees or associate degree degrees. Other degrees that we often see on windows system administrator resumes include master's degree degrees or diploma degrees.
You may find that experience in other jobs will help you become a windows system administrator. In fact, many windows system administrator jobs require experience in a role such as systems administrator. Meanwhile, many windows system administrators also have previous career experience in roles such as systems engineer or network administrator.
Windows System Administrator Career Paths
In addition to switching up your job search, it might prove helpful to look at a career path for your specific job. Now, what's a career path you ask? Well, it's practically a map that shows how you might advance from one job title to another. Our career paths are especially detailed with salary changes. So, for example, if you started out with the role of senior system administrator you might progress to a role such as information technology manager eventually. Later on in your career, you could end up with the title information technology operations manager.
Average Salary for a Windows System Administrator
What Am I Worth?
Top Colleges for Windows System Administrators
1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, MA • Private
2. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
3. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
4. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
5. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
6. Georgia Institute of Technology
Atlanta, GA • Private
7. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
8. Georgetown University
Washington, DC • Private
9. Dartmouth College
Hanover, NH • Private
10. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Top Skills For a Windows System Administrator
The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 9.6% of windows system administrators listed windows on their resume, but soft skills such as analytical skills and communication skills are important as well.
Choose From 10+ Customizable Windows System Administrator Resume templates
Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use Windows System Administrator templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your Windows System Administrator resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.
Windows System Administrator Demographics
Windows System Administrator Gender Distribution
After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
- Among windows system administrators, 11.7% of them are women, while 88.3% are men.
- The most common race/ethnicity among windows system administrators is White, which makes up 63.6% of all windows system administrators.
- The most common foreign language among windows system administrators is Spanish at 42.0%.
Online Courses For Windows System Administrator That You May Like
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Windows Server 2016: Nano Server, Server Core, Active Directory, DNS, DHCP, Hyper-V, WDS, WSUS, NLB and more...
Installation and configuration of Domain Controller, Active Directory, DNS, WebServer (IIS), Group Policy, WSUS and more...
Best States For a Windows System Administrator
Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as a windows system administrator. The best states for people in this position are California, Oregon, Utah, and South Dakota. Windows system administrators make the most in California with an average salary of $107,978. Whereas in Oregon and Utah, they would average $95,375 and $93,865, respectively. While windows system administrators would only make an average of $92,592 in South Dakota, you would still make more there than in the rest of the country. We determined these as the best states based on job availability and pay. By finding the median salary, cost of living, and using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Location Quotient, we narrowed down our list of states to these four.
1. Utah
$93,865
Avg. Salary
2. California
$107,978
Avg. Salary
3. Oregon
$95,375
Avg. Salary
How Do Windows System Administrator Rate Their Jobs?
Top Windows System Administrator Employers
We've made finding a great employer to work for easy by doing the hard work for you. We looked into employers that employ windows system administrators and discovered their number of windows system administrator opportunities and average salary. Through our research, we concluded that IBM was the best, especially with an average salary of $82,779. Arrow Electronics follows up with an average salary of $87,076, and then comes Peraton with an average of $85,775. In addition, we know most people would rather work from home. So instead of having to change careers, we identified the best employers for remote work as a windows system administrator. The employers include Arrow Electronics, Chenega, and Delta Dental Ins
Most Common Employers For Windows System Administrator
| Rank  | Company  | Average Salary  | Hourly Rate  | Job Openings  |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arrow Electronics | $87,076 | $41.86 | 93 |
| 2 | Peraton | $85,775 | $41.24 | 93 |
| 3 | Tata Group | $84,729 | $40.74 | 24 |
| 4 | Wipro Limited | $82,860 | $39.84 | 29 |
| 5 | IBM | $82,779 | $39.80 | 132 |
| 6 | VMware | $82,638 | $39.73 | 57 |
| 7 | AT&T | $82,376 | $39.60 | 21 |
| 8 | Dell | $81,166 | $39.02 | 19 |
| 9 | Northrop Grumman | $80,689 | $38.79 | 61 |
| 10 | SAIC | $80,629 | $38.76 | 32 |