What does a System Administrator do and what should be my major to follow into that?
Asked by deanna2fine
I am a freshman in college (University of Maryland, Baltimore County) and I have a huge love for anything dealing with computers. I just cannot seem to figure out what I want do for a carer, but I have thinking of becoming a System Administator. What exactly does this job entail? What is the average salary, and one when I am around the age of 40 (Senior position hopefully, or more specifically, the highest I could make before i retire.) What is the best location/region for these jobs? What certifications will I need, and can I take these around junior/senior year to get a better opportunity at an entry position? Is the work hard, and will I have to do programmig also?

Best Answer:
You'll need a bachelor's degree in computer science. For certificates, I'd suggest along the lines of: A+, Network +, MCSE. And yes you could take these while in school, they involve studying for specific exams and your university coursework is likely to be more theoretical. I'd say starting pay is 35k-45k. You won't get hired as a system's administrator right away. You'll need to get work experience in IT first, likely in a helpdesk type capacity. The job usually involves overseeing many of your company's programs on the network, possibly handing email and server systems (depending on if there is a network admin and dba admin where you work) and setting up users on the network. If you can I'd suggest getting internships in IT as early as possible. That way you will come into contact with people who hold different kinds of jobs in IT and can decide if any of them might be for you. That way if you don't like IT at all, you can switch your major. Or if you wanted to go into database administration you could learn programming languages and go that route in your certifications. These people will also be the best qualified to give you advice on what they want to see in potential candidates.