Professional development

Average IT Administrator Salary in 2018

IT is a huge field that requires a wide set of knowledge in several areas. When you work in server administration or network administration, you will likely start off in a general IT position that lets you get your feet wet with new technology. IT administration is about handling the desktops, servers, and networking equipment for enterprise or small companies.

Prerequisites: What is Needed to Get Into IT Administration

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The role of an IT administrator varies depending on what area of IT you want to focus on. First, you might want to get into networking, which means you should know how cabling, routers, switches and communication protocols work. If you want to get into desktop support, you should know how client operating systems work and how to fix and work with tablets, desktops, and even servers. Server administration is harder to break into until you understand server software. You can usually learn either Linux or Windows environments by working desktop support and getting your feet wet with server administration.

What Does an IT Administrator Do?

IT administrators oversee all functionality that handles the enterprise network. The size of the network depends on the enterprise you work for. You can start off doing basic IT desktop support for a small company and then work for a larger company in the IT support field. When you work with larger companies, you usually have a team that manages the network and employee computers. You’ll also work with peripheral devices and helping users install printers, scanners, and other attached network components. One way to get started with IT administration is to take the A+ and N+ certifications. These certifications help you show potential employers that you have the knowledge to manage IT systems. For more information on how you can earn your A+ and N+ certifications, fill out the form below for a course syllabus and pricing information on our bootcamp, live online and self paced training options.

How Much Money Does an IT Administrator Make?

Take a look at the following graph to get a good idea of how much IT administrators make.

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You’ll notice that the role of IT administrator makes a great living. Of course, these salary ranges depend on where you are located. The system administrator salary range is about $100,000 each year. This is because most system administrators oversee a large variety of platform systems, so the IT administrator salary is high. You can start off as a basic IT system administrator working with smaller projects and make about $65,000 each year. A telecommunication manager works mostly with phone and VoIP communications, and these people make about $85,000 each year. A networking consultant oversees the networking equipment for both telephony and computer networks, and these people make about $65,000 each year. As a senior IT administrator, your salary can go up to $95,000 each year, which is the median range for most IT administrators. A senior IT administrator has a firm grasp on several different technologies and platforms including Linux and Windows systems. When you manage IT systems, you usually have a team working with you to perform different tasks related to the network and enterprise architecture. The field of IT is a booming industry where you’ll find a great salary package for your experience.