System vs. Network Admin

I know the differences between the two, just interested in knowing what the salary differences are. I'm really torn between both of them, and not sure which one to strive for. I was going to let the differences in salary be the deciding factor, actually, because I like both sets of job duties a lot. I'd look at dice.com but too many of the postings misuse the titles so I can't make a good judgement that way.

The reason I want to know is so I can prepare accordingly with certain certifications, labbing, etc.

So, which path pays more or would be the more 'stable' path to take, you think? Or should I do both (i.e. generalist)? And I already know that either one requires some knowledge of the other, that's something I don't mind at all.

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Comments

Tackle

There are a lot of variables there. Pay will be different depending on region and company, as well as day to day duties. Depending on your location, there could be a bigger need for one vs the other and will pay more accordingly. Research is key.

Do you like working with Servers or Network equipment better?

tr1x

Well, that's the thing. I could really do either one, so I'm not sure how to decide other than salary. And I don't have much of a preference on where I live so I'm very willing to move for a higher paying job.

If I had to choose, I think I like working with Servers better, but I feel like those jobs may be thinning out and I'm not so sure they pay as well. I like Servers 51% and Networking 49% .. so really either one, just want to know what a better career choice would be in terms of job security and compensation.

ptilsen

It's really tough to even define the differences. Sure, "systems" means you work on servers and "network" means you work on switches and routers, right? Maybe in some environments, but outside of big enterprises, things are rarely so cut and dry. Network can mean anything from switches, routers, phones, phone systems, firewalls, load balancing appliances, security appliances, access points, VPN appliances.... and servers, storage, and desktops. Systems can mean anything from servers, desktops, storage, security appliances, VPN appliances, load balancing appliances... and firewalls, switches, routers, and phone systems. Etc. etc.

If you really want to focus on switching and routing specifically, or a specialized branch of systems administration, you'll find that salaries are generally comparable. You'll hear anecdotes about all sorts of salaries, but in the end neither "branch" of IT is really anymore lucrative than the other. Even other branches/specializations, like security, virtualization, storage, are all very lucrative. There is no legitimate branch or specialization I can think of that doesn't have the potential to make six figures and more in most of the country (as opposed to NY, Chicago, LA, etc. where six figures is a given due to cost of living). Linux experts get six figures, CCIE get six figures, project managers get six figures, Microsoft PFEs get six figures, security experts (technical and managerial) get six figures.

Most paths are stable and have fairly clear progression lines. You can stay a generalist or at least fairly broad in your skill a long time and still make money, though specialization is usually where the big bucks come in. I hate specialists who are totally ignorant in other areas, and I think professionals who keep at least a broad perspective tend to do better. As an example, an Exchange engineer might know Exchange really well, but that doesn't excuse him from knowing the OSI model and being able to identify and troubleshoot basic network issues. Nor does a network engineer get to not know about RDP, the various forms of Exchange client access, or other traffic that will be traversing the networks he is responsible for.

Do what you love and what you think you'll love doing the most. Don't worry about the money or even the stability. As long as you're investing yourself in a popular technology that's clearly not going away, you'll do fine. Cisco, Microsoft, VMware, RedHat, Oracle, SAP, etc. are not going anywhere. TCP/IP is going to be around for a long time, as will Windows and Linux.

NOC-Ninja

Tackle wrote: »

There are a lot of variables there. Pay will be different depending on region and company, as well as day to day duties. Depending on your location, there could be a bigger need for one vs the other and will pay more accordingly. Research is key.

Do you like working with Servers or Network equipment better?

If you want stability and in demand then go for VOIP or Security. Those are the 2 that will always be in demand. However, I believe that VOIP is at the top of the food chain since there are a few people that really understand/ have experience in VOIP.

tr1x

Thanks for the awesome post ptilsen, really helps me out. Security sounds like a pretty good idea, as NOC-Ninja mentioned. That's something that would require a lot of knowledge in both, so I'd be getting the best of both worlds. Definitely something I'll look into more as I progress through my IT career.

lilmansdad

does anyone have any good stats on what the breakdown is for total jobs in each area?

the BLS just lumps them together...

Network and Computer Systems Administrators*

NOC-Ninja

tr1x wrote: »

Thanks for the awesome post ptilsen, really helps me out. Security sounds like a pretty good idea, as NOC-Ninja mentioned. That's something that would require a lot of knowledge in both, so I'd be getting the best of both worlds. Definitely something I'll look into more as I progress through my IT career.

It does require a lot of knowledge but you'll be surprise how much voip guys out there doesnt know how to use the cli. Also, security guys that doesnt understand network technologies and cant connect the dots. Im not saying everybody but a lot of people in the field got hired by default because they have been in that company for a long time. Some of them were friends of friends that who doesnt know what they are doing.

joshmadakor

NOC-Ninja wrote: »

Also, security guys that doesnt understand network technologies and cant connect the dots.

This has been my feeling ever since I took my first Infosec course at my local community college.

RouteThisWay

I am titled "System Administrator". I serve the roles at both System and Network admin functionally.

I manage all of our servers, our SAN, and anything else classified as a "System". I also do all of our network configs, routing/switching, VoIP (ShoreTel), Site-to-Site VPN, Firewall configs (Palo Alto and Cisco ASA boxes) and pretty much anything classified as network.

You will find this much more common in small/medium business environments. In another company, they call their jaot guy the "Network Administrator".

Unless you go to a tech company or in an enterprise environment, you are going to find these job titles are interchangeable.

MickQ

Exactly. The job title is one thing, but the job spec is what you really do.
Obvious when you read it like that, but it's all about the job spec.