Main image of article System Administrator Skills: Key Things to Learn

In simplest terms, a system administrator (or ‘sysadmin’ for short) is responsible for keeping an organization’s IT systems up and running. Depending on the size of the organization, they might be tasked with everything from regularly upgrading hardware to maintaining cybersecurity defenses; at larger companies, they might work with a range of specialists (such as network engineers and cybersecurity engineers) to ensure the various parts of a system remain up.

Sysadmins are one of the most vital roles in tech. What skills do you need to learn to become one? Let’s find out!

What skills do system administrators need to learn?

The following skills pop up frequently in system administrator job postings:

  • Systems administration
  • Linux
  • Microsoft Active Directory
  • VMware
  • Technical support
  • Windows Server
  • Hardware and software installation and management
  • Cybersecurity
  • Cloud computing platforms such as AWS, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud
  • Account access management
  • Programming languages (HTML, CSS, Java, Python, JavaScript)
  • SQL

All of those make sense, of course, given how sysadmins spend the bulk of their day wrestling with operating systems, installing hardware and software, and troubleshooting throughout the organization. Keep in mind that system administrators within certain industries will need to learn highly specialized, industry-specific skills; for example, those involved in healthcare will need to learn data-protection regulations such as HIPAA and how those influence system design and data storage.

Sysadmins use these skills to complete the following tasks:

  • Analyze network and device issues as they occur, and either troubleshoot or collaborate with other tech pros on a fix.
  • Install, maintain, and iterate on an organization’s network, potentially in conjunction with network engineers and other specialists.
  • Work with an organization’s data experts (including data engineers and data scientists) on building out secure, effective databases and other data features; the goal is to ensure that data is usable, discoverable, and secure both at rest and in use.
  • Keep the organization updated about the current state of the tech stack, including any upgrades.
  • Security testing alongside cybersecurity personnel.
  • Upgrading and maintaining individual devices, such as employee laptops and desktops.

That’s quite a complicated list, which brings us to another thing that all sysadmins need: “soft skills” such as empathy and communication. Effective soft skills allow sysadmins to work alongside stakeholders throughout an organization to ensure the network, cloud, and associated devices all perform effectively for the business.

Where can I learn system administrator skills?

Many two- and four-year colleges and universities offer courses that teach the fundamentals of system administrator work. For those tech professionals who are self-learners, there are also plenty of courses online that will instruct you in the fundamentals of sysadmin work, including:

For those who want to learn how to become a system administrator via career progression, consider starting with a position at the help desk or within IT support; that will teach you the fundamentals. From there, ask if you can shadow a sysadmin as they do their job, which will allow you to pick up more skills. Some tech pros also opt to take an intermediary role as an analyst or software developer, which can give them the analytics and development skills necessary to jump to a sysadmin position.

Do you need a degree to break into system administrator work?

That’s an excellent question. There are certainly degrees and formal coursework that can teach you the tech fundamentals necessary to become a system administrator, including computer science and computer engineering degrees. But given the historically low unemployment rate for tech professionals, and the incredible demand for sysadmins, those with the right mix of skills also have a great shot of landing a position, provided they demonstrate their mastery of those skills to hiring managers and recruiters.

How much do system administrators earn?

The median salary for a system administrator with between zero and two years of experience is $63,000, according to Lightcast, which collects and analyzes millions of job postings from across the country. That’s well below the average tech salary of $111,348, according to the most recent Dice Tech Salary Report. 

The Dice Tech Salary Report pegs the average system administrator salary at $85,037, which declined year-over-year by 4.1 percent. However, don’t put too much emphasis on that decline; salaries tend to fluctuate according to the rules of supply and demand. For those with the right mix of specialized experience and skills, sysadmin compensation can also climb significantly higher.