Systems Administrator
What Does a Professional in this Career Do?
A Systems Administrator manages the day-to-day operations of an organization's computer networks, including the systems that connect computers and other technology to each other and to outside networks. Installs, organizes, and supports the hardware and software of these systems.
Job Outlook
There were 1008 Systems Administrator job postings in North Carolina in the past year and 33629 in the United States.
In combination with other careers in the Network / Systems Administrator industry, which includes the Systems Administrator career, the following graph shows the number of people employed for each year since 2015:
Salary
Many new Systems Administrator jobs have salaries estimated to be in the following ranges, based on the requirements and responsibilities listed in job postings from the past year.
National
The average estimated salary in the United States for this career, based on job postings in the past year, is $79,055.
State
The average estimated salary in North Carolina for this career, based on job postings in the past year, is $79,389.
Percentiles represent the percentage that is lower than the value. For example, 25% of estimated salaries for Systems Administrator postings in the United States in the past year were lower than $65,657.
Education and Experience
Posted Systems Administrator jobs typically require the following level of education. The numbers below are based on job postings in the United States from the past year. Not all job postings list education requirements.
| Education Level | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Associate's Degree | 0% |
| Bachelor's Degree | 55.06% |
| Master's Degree | 8.24% |
| Doctoral Degree | 1.72% |
| Other | 9.74% |
Posted Systems Administrator jobs typically require the following number of years of experience. The numbers below are based on job postings in the United States from the past year. Not all job postings list experience requirements.
| Years of Experience | Percentage |
|---|---|
| 0 to 2 years | 18.44% |
| 3 to 5 years | 50.79% |
| 6 to 8 years | 19.02% |
| 9+ years | 11.76% |
Skills
Below are listings of the most common general and specialized skills Systems Administrator positions expect applicants to have as well as the most common skills that distinguish individuals from their peers. The percentage of job postings that specifically mention each skill is also listed.
Baseline Skills
A skill that is required across a broad range of occupations, including this one.
- Troubleshooting (Problem Solving) (53.77%)
- Management (38.64%)
- Communication (37.6%)
- Operations (31.21%)
- Problem Solving (27.16%)
- Information Technology (19.55%)
- Planning (15.96%)
- Customer Service (15.6%)
- Detail Oriented (11.42%)
- Writing (10.83%)
Defining Skills
A core skill for this occupation, it occurs frequently in job postings.
- Active Directory (27.56%)
- Linux (28.04%)
- Computer Science (29.03%)
- System Administration (35.47%)
- Operating Systems (35.33%)
- Scripting (24.23%)
Necessary Skills
A skill that is requested frequently in this occupation but isn’t specific to it.
- Workflow Management (15.22%)
- Microsoft 365 (6.63%)
- Azure Active Directory (5.42%)
- Administrative Support (1.7%)
- Amazon Web Services (12.81%)
- IT Infrastructure (7.73%)
- Microsoft Teams (4.11%)
- Agile Methodology (8.32%)
- Auditing (12.53%)
- Automation (21.05%)
- Change Management (8.6%)
- Technical Support (12.31%)
- Backup Devices (15.53%)
- Microsoft Azure (16.26%)
- Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) (8.71%)
- Python (Programming Language) (11.6%)
- Cyber Security (8.16%)
- Disaster Recovery (10.14%)
- Unix (10.69%)
- Information Systems (12.5%)
- Configuration Management (8.67%)
- Firewall (11.94%)
- Group Policy (10.4%)
- Virtual Private Networks (VPN) (4.76%)
- Help Desk Support (10.11%)
- Local Area Networks (6.5%)
- Project Management (12.33%)
- Microsoft SharePoint (8.42%)
- Ansible (7.79%)
- Windows Servers (19.2%)
- TCP/IP (5.58%)
- Network Switches (7.37%)
- Windows PowerShell (16.02%)
- SQL (Programming Language) (13.6%)
- Information Technology Infrastructure Library (5.87%)
- Virtualization (12.18%)
- Microsoft Office 365 (7.53%)
- ServiceNow (8.87%)
- Microsoft Intune (Mobile Device Management Software) (4.22%)
Distinguishing Skills
A skill that may distinguish a subset of the occupation.
- Office 365 Exchange Online (2.17%)
- Microsoft Servers (5.18%)
- Server Administration (3.92%)
- Linux Servers (4.75%)
- VMware VSphere (4.72%)
Salary Boosting Skills
A professional who wishes to excel in this career path may consider developing the following highly valued skills. The percentage of job postings that specifically mention each skill is listed.
- System Administration (92.02%)
- Microsoft Servers (13.45%)
Alternative Job Titles
Sometimes employers post jobs with Systems Administrator skills but a different job title. Some common alternative job titles include:
- Computer Operator
- Servicenow Administrator
- Netsuite Administrator
- Jira Administrator
- Application Administrator
- Cloud Systems Administrator
- Atlassian Administrator
- Hadoop Administrator
- Administrator
Similar Occupations
If you are interested in exploring occupations with similar skills, you may want to research the following job titles. Note that we only list occupations that have at least one corresponding NC State Online and Distance Education program.
- IT Administrator
- Windows Administrator
- VMware Engineer / Administrator
- Unix Administrator / Engineer
- Technical Support Engineer / Analyst
- Network Analyst / Specialist
Common Employers
Here are the employers that have posted the most Systems Administrator jobs in the past year along with how many they have posted.
United States
- Leidos (1034)
- General Dynamics (597)
- Robert Half (535)
- Allegis Group (350)
- CACI International (316)
- Peraton (285)
- CTG (274)
- TEKsystems (260)
- Insight Global (258)
- Lockheed Martin (243)
North Carolina
- General Dynamics (41)
- Randstad (26)
- Allegis Group (20)
- ASGN (19)
- Robert Half (16)
- TEKsystems (12)
- ManpowerGroup (12)
- Jervis B. Webb Company (10)
- HCL Technologies (9)
- Motion Recruitment (9)
NC State Programs Relevant to this Career
If you are interested in preparing for a career in this field, the following NC State Online and Distance Education programs offer a great place to start!
All wages, job posting statistics, employment trend projections, and information about skill desirability on this page represents historical data and does not guarantee future conditions. Data is provided by and downloaded regularly from Lightcast. For more information about how Lightcast gathers data and what it represents, see Lightcast Data: Basic Overview on Lightcast's Knowledge Base website.