Network and Computer Systems Administrators
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.
- Median pay
- $99,130
- Doing it now
- 323,600
- By 2035
- Down 4.1%
- Usually needs
- Bachelor's degree
a year
across the country
13,400 openings a year
to get in
What the work involves
- Perform data backups and disaster recovery operations.
- Maintain and administer computer networks and related computing environments, including computer hardware, systems software, applications software, and all configurations.
- Plan, coordinate, and implement network security measures to protect data, software, and hardware.
- Operate master consoles to monitor the performance of computer systems and networks and to coordinate computer network access and use.
- Perform routine network startup and shutdown procedures, and maintain control records.
- Design, configure, and test computer hardware, networking software and operating system software.
- Recommend changes to improve systems and network configurations, and determine hardware or software requirements related to such changes.
What to study
The fields of study the Department of Education links to this occupation, most widely taught first.
- Computer and Information Sciences, GeneralSee 937 colleges that teach it
- Computer/Information Technology Administration and ManagementSee 426 colleges that teach it
Who it suits
O*NET scores every occupation on six interest dimensions. This one leans hardest on these three.
Organised and precise
Hands-on and practical
Analytical and curious
Careers like this one
Where this comes from: the description and the task list are O*NET, which the Department of Labor maintains. Pay, workforce size, outlook and the education normally needed are the Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections programme, 2025 wages and 2025 to 2035 projections. Half of them earn more than $99,130 a year, which means half earn less, and what you would earn depends on where you work and how long you have been doing it. The fields of study come from the National Center for Education Statistics crosswalk.