IT Administrator

Education and Training: College and specialized computer training
Average Salary:$82,000 per year
Job Outlook: Very good

An IT Administrator is responsible for maintaining the computer systems of the company. He is accountable for installation, configuration, operation, and maintenance of computer systems.
Following is a list of works undertaken by an IT Administrator:

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• The IT Administrator is responsible for upgrading the systems and increasing their efficiencies by making use of the latest technologies.
• The IT Administrator is responsible for protecting the systems from viruses and other threats to the systems. This individual is accountable for Network security or the security of confidential data which forms the most important part of any organization. He is supposed to install security systems, while keeping himself updated with advanced data security systems available in the market.
• IT administrators regularly monitor the operating system software, the networking software and also the computer hardware. He figures out the problem and replaces the component that is not functioning well.

Education and Training Requirements

The IT administrator’s job is entirely a technical job and requires training and knowledge of computer science and its applications. A Bachelor’s degree, with computer engineering or computer science, is a must for the job of IT Administrator. However just completing a bachelor’s degree is not enough; to become a successful IT administrator, a master’s degree along with some specialized courses in computers is also required.

Getting the Job

With the rising demand of computers, the demand of IT administrator is no doubt increasing. So getting a job in this field is easy. IT administrator jobs are often advertised in newspapers, computer industry magazines, or Internet job banks. With the latest Internet and wireless technologies, more jobs are expected to be created. So if you have relevant qualification, the required skills and you keep yourself updated with the latest changes in this field, you are right for this job.

Job Prospects, Employment Outlook and Career Development

Per the experts, the demand of IT Administrator is expected to grow much faster than the average. Development of new applications for computers and sophisticated technologies will create new job openings. Most organizations using computer networks will require administrators. So the individuals who are reliable, highly skilled, and well-trained will be in great demand to meet those needs.

Salary and Benefits

The salary for IT administrators depends basically on the location of the work, educational details, and the number of years of experience. As per several salary surveys, candidates with a master’s degree in computer science and applications are known to get much more than those with just a bachelor’s degree. As time progresses, it becomes possible for those with more education to gain a higher pay scale. The average salary of an IT administrator is around $80,000-$85,000. With experience of over ten years, an IT administrator can easily earn more than $90,000 per year.

Working Conditions and Environment

IT administrators, like other computer professionals, work in normal office environments. Working hours are normally 40 hours a week. At times IT administrators need to spend extra hours, like in case of a network crash, to solve the problem and re-establish the network.

Where to Go for More Information

Association for Computing Machinery
1515 Broadway
New York, NY 10036
(212) 626-0500
http://www.acm.org

IEEE Computer Society
1730 Massachusetts Ave. NW
Washington, DC 20036
(202) 371-0101
http://www.computer.org

Systems Administrator Guild
2560 9th St., Ste. 215
Berkeley, CA 94710
(510) 548-5738
http://www.sage.org