I work overnight from 8 p.m. to 7 a.m. Each shift begins with a review of emails to anticipate any scheduled outages, as maintenance typically unfolds during the quieter night hours. My responsibilities include patching servers to ensure our clients' systems run smoothly. Utilizing scripts for routine maintenance, I balance between direct action and notifying clients of issues. When work slows, I study for certifications, making each shift a step toward professional and personal fulfillment.
CAREER
Network and Computer Systems Administrators
Overview
Salary Median (2020)
$80,600
Projected Job Growth (2019-2029)
+3.4% (slower than the average)
Career
Roadtrip Nation Leaders in This Career
What Network and Computer Systems Administrators Do
Install, configure, and maintain an organization's local area network (LAN), wide area network (WAN), data communications network, operating systems, and physical and virtual servers. Perform system monitoring and verify the integrity and availability of hardware, network, and server resources and systems. Review system and application logs and verify completion of scheduled jobs, including system backups. Analyze network and server resource consumption and control user access. Install and upgrade software and maintain software licenses. May assist in network modeling, analysis, planning, and coordination between network and data communications hardware and software.
Other Job Titles Network and Computer Systems Administrators May Have
Information Technology Specialist (IT Specialist), Local Area Network Administrator (LAN Administrator), Network Administrator, Systems Administrator
How Leaders Describe a Typical Day at Work
A typical day is hard to define, there are often problems that arise that need immediate resolution. Things that may never have been encountered before that need to be understood and fixed in a matter of minutes. It is exciting at times, but can get rather monotonous depending on what layers of the job you get focused on. Staying at the forefront of technology means you always get to keep learning, and for me that is one of the best parts of my job.
Tasks & Responsibilities May Include
- Maintain and administer computer networks and related computing environments, including computer hardware, systems software, applications software, and all configurations.
- Perform data backups and disaster recovery operations.
- Diagnose, troubleshoot, and resolve hardware, software, or other network and system problems, and replace defective components when necessary.
- Configure, monitor, and maintain email applications or virus protection software.
- Operate master consoles to monitor the performance of computer systems and networks and to coordinate computer network access and use.
Education
Level of Education Attained by Network and Computer Systems Administrators
Most common level of education among people in
this career: Bachelor's degree (52%)
Some college, no degree
Associate's degree
Bachelor's degree
Majors Related to Career
Educational Paths Suggested by Leaders
Suggested Path
High School
Bachelor
Computer and Information Sciences, General
Suggested Path
High School
Associates
Additional Skills & Experiences That Can Help You Excel
In my career, I am the only one in my dept with a BFA. It has worked for me, but a more comprehensive technical background would be an asset in this industry. If I had not gotten my foot in the door of a small company and stuck it out for the long haul, I am doubtful I would ever have become more than a code monkey. Opportunities are all over the place, luck is being prepared for that opportunity when it presents itself. Don't confuse luck for a free pass, you still need to work hard to get it.
Social skills and public speaking skills will help. Confidence is hard to "learn", so that comes over time. I was a journalism major. So technology is all self-taught for me. But I use the journalistic skills to write courses and deliver them so others may learn as well! Teaching something will demonstrate whether you truly know it or not! :)
Getting Started
Recommended First Step for:
High School Students
Dont get ahead of your self. Becoming an expert is an admirable goal, but being able to call yourself one in a landscape that is constantly evolving is not easy. What you knew last week is now old news and the next iteration requires you to rethink what you thought you knew. The best advice I can give for anyone interested in an engineering position is to "learn to love to learn". That and, "dont let go of your hobbies", they are what will keep you sane in the midst of chaotic deadlines.
Network engineering does involve a lot of math. Whether working in binary, decimal or hexadecimal numbering systems, it is important to understand and be able to convert between them.
So in middle school, I would make sure to not avoid math classes! Even moving up through the advanced courses, there is a certain logic set that is taught irrespective of the exact formulas! For the consulting end, any thespian activities would be greatly beneficial for speaking and confidence!
Everyone
This page includes information from theO*NET 26.1 Databaseby the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under theCC BY 4.0license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
