What does a System Administrator do?
System Administrators typically work for corporations across industries to ensure that employees have secure and efficient computer systems to fulfill their daily job responsibilities. They work closely with IT personnel and company employees to update systems, address security breaches and help troubleshoot issues. Their job is to plan for problematic situations and create procedures to restore computer systems and their functionality. They may also be responsible for coding systems or updating programs by altering code strings if necessary.
System Administrator skills and qualifications
A qualified candidate will have skills and qualifications that demonstrate the fact that they are capable of executing their job duties and fulfilling the various functions of their role. Some of the skills and qualifications of a System Administrator include:
- Ability to solve problems in stressful situations
- Strong attention to detail
- Communication skills
- Ability to explain technical concepts to inexperienced users
- Time management skills
System Administrator salary expectations
The average annual salary for a System Administrator is $83,579 per year. Actual pay for a System Administrator depends on the experience and educational background of the candidate.
System Administrator salary expectations
-
Common salary:
92264.53 YEARLY -
Typical salaries range from
24000.00 -205000.00 YEARLY - Find more information on Indeed Salaries
*Indeed data –
System Administrator education and training requirements
Education requirements for a System Administrator vary because it’s a role that can be filled by people who have knowledge either through education or actual work experience with operating and monitoring local area networks. An ideal candidate could have an associate or bachelor’s degree in computer science, but someone with multiple certifications can be just as capable of fulfilling the job duties. Certifications include Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert (MCSE), CompTIA Server+, Red Hat Certified System Administrator, Red Hat Certified Engineer and VMware Certified Professional.
System Administrator experience requirements
An ideal System Administrator candidate will have experience with databases, networks, upgrading hardware and software, designing networks, laying out the infrastructure for LANs, troubleshooting network outages and user troubles and the ability to communicate clearly. They will also be up-to-date on the latest security protocols for the LAN and wide area network (WAN) and be able to educate users on how to handle suspicious emails and requests for sensitive information. A candidate for the role should also be able to program scripts to run internal functions and have sufficient Unix knowledge.
Job description samples for similar positions
If you’re writing a job description for a related position to a System Administrator, see our job descriptions for similar roles:
*Indeed provides this information as a courtesy to users of this site. Please note that we are not your recruiting or legal advisor, we are not responsible for the content of your job descriptions, and none of the information provided herein guarantees performance.