RoleMath

role

Network Administrator

Source-cited RoleMath page about Network Administrator.

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Researched by RoleMath Research. Every figure on this page traces to the official source shown next to it.

What the numbers say about this work

Government occupation data for the role this maps to — Network and Computer Systems Administrators (SOC 15-1244). This is planning context for the occupation, not a salary or a job this role guarantees you.

Median pay (occupation)
$99,130 / yr · $62,640 to $155,050 (10th–90th percentile)
Projected change (2024–34)
-4.2% · ~14.3k openings/yr
Typical entry education
Bachelor's degree

BLS OEWS — occupation-level, national BLS Employment Projections 2024–34 This role has a high-confidence mapping to the listed O*NET-SOC/BLS occupation.

What it pays by metro

The national median hides a wide geographic spread. Below is the occupation’s median in some of the highest-paying and largest-employment metros, adjusted for local prices — regional price-level context, not take-home pay or a salary this role guarantees you.

MetroNominal medianCost-adjusted
San Jose, CA$133,360$120,772
Baltimore, MD$122,950$117,670
Washington, DC$125,430$115,196
Durham, NC$110,640$113,393
San Francisco, CA$129,680$112,167
Columbus, OH$105,750$110,769

See all metros and how this is calculated → Sources: BLS OEWS (May 2025), occupation-level metro median ÷ BEA Regional Price Parities (2024, US=100).

What this work involves

The tasks the U.S. Department of Labor’s O*NET lists most central to this occupation — role-fit evidence to weigh against your background, not a measure of employer demand.

  • Maintain and administer computer networks and related computing environments, including computer hardware, systems software, applications software, and all configurations.
  • Perform data backups and disaster recovery operations.
  • Diagnose, troubleshoot, and resolve hardware, software, or other network and system problems, and replace defective components when necessary.
  • Configure, monitor, and maintain email applications or virus protection software.
  • Operate master consoles to monitor the performance of computer systems and networks and to coordinate computer network access and use.
  • Monitor network performance to determine whether adjustments are needed and where changes will be needed in the future.

O*NET — occupation-level

Skills that matter

The skills O*NET rates most important for this occupation. A starting map for what to build — weigh it against the specific job you’re targeting.

  • Critical Thinking
  • Reading Comprehension
  • Active Listening
  • Monitoring
  • Speaking
  • Active Learning
  • Writing
  • Mathematics

O*NET — occupation-level

What employers ask for right now

The skills and certifications employers most often name in a sample of 94public job postings for this role. Treat it as a to-learn list — it’s dated hiring language, not a count of open jobs, demand, or salary.

Most-named skills

  • BGP 59
  • Cisco 59
  • Troubleshooting 51
  • OSPF 46
  • CCNP 42
  • Network security 36
  • DNS 33
  • TCP/IP 31
  • Python 30
  • firewall 28
  • Azure 24
  • VPN 24

Certifications named

  • CCNA 42
  • Security+ 21
  • Network+ 11
  • CySA+ 3

Compare what employers ask across roles → Qualitative employer-language sample only; do not use as official demand, market-size, salary, or certification ROI evidence.

Certification decision support

Certifications mapped to Network Administrator

Certifications mapped to this role from cited OEM target-role data and the RoleMath role mapping, ordered by relationship strength and then Difficulty Score. This is planning context — not a guarantee, not an employer requirement, and not a claim that any one certification is best for everyone. Your fit depends on your background; pay/outlook context is occupation-level on the role page.

Start here signalCompTIA Network+35/100 · Moderate

Entry and starting signals

35 mapped

Lower-difficulty credentials that map to this role as starting points or foundation signals.

CredentialDifficultyCostRelationshipWhy it appears here
CompTIA Network+CompTIA · foundation
35/100Moderate$399 examstrong signalNetwork+ supports networking fundamentals for administrator routes.Official source
Automation and DevOps, Associate (JNCIA-DevOps)Juniper Networks · associate
40/100Moderate$200 examstrong signalAutomation and DevOps, Associate (JNCIA-DevOps) maps to Network Administrator as a strong role signal based on its cited track token:networking signal.Official source
Cloud, Associate (JNCIA-Cloud)Juniper Networks · associate
40/100Moderate$200 examstrong signalCloud, Associate (JNCIA-Cloud) maps to Network Administrator as a strong role signal based on its cited track token:networking signal.Official source
Design, Associate (JNCIA-Design)Juniper Networks · associate
40/100Moderate$200 examstrong signalDesign, Associate (JNCIA-Design) maps to Network Administrator as a strong role signal based on its cited track token:networking signal.Official source
Junos, Associate (JNCIA-Junos)Juniper Networks · associate
40/100Moderate$200 examstrong signalJunos, Associate (JNCIA-Junos) maps to Network Administrator as a strong role signal based on its cited track token:networking signal.Official source
Mist AI, Associate (JNCIA-MistAI)Juniper Networks · associate
40/100Moderate$200 examstrong signalMist AI, Associate (JNCIA-MistAI) maps to Network Administrator as a strong role signal based on its cited track token:networking signal.Official source
Security, Associate (JNCIA-SEC)Juniper Networks · associate
40/100Moderate$200 examstrong signalSecurity, Associate (JNCIA-SEC) maps to Network Administrator as a strong role signal based on its cited track token:networking signal.Official source
Cisco Certified DevNet AssociateCisco · associate
40/100Moderate$300 examstrong signalCisco Certified DevNet Associate maps to Network Administrator as a strong role signal based on its cited track token:networking signal.Official source

27 later-step or lower-priority mappings are kept in the data payload for review.

Advanced or later-step credentials

29 mapped

Credentials that may matter after experience builds; they are not presented as first steps.

CredentialDifficultyCostRelationshipWhy it appears here
Fortinet NSE 4 - FortiOS 7.6 AdministratorFortinet · professional
60/100Hard$200 examadvanced adjacentFortinet NSE 4 - FortiOS 7.6 Administrator maps to Network Administrator as an advanced credential for progressing toward/within this role, not an entry signal.Official source
Cisco Certified DevNet ProfessionalCisco · professional
60/100Hard$400 examadvanced adjacentCisco Certified DevNet Professional maps to Network Administrator as an advanced credential for progressing toward/within this role, not an entry signal.Official source
Data Center, Professional (JNCIP-DC)Juniper Networks · professional
60/100Hard$400 examadvanced adjacentData Center, Professional (JNCIP-DC) maps to Network Administrator as an advanced credential for progressing toward/within this role, not an entry signal.Official source
Enterprise Routing and Switching, Professional (JNCIP-ENT)Juniper Networks · professional
60/100Hard$400 examadvanced adjacentEnterprise Routing and Switching, Professional (JNCIP-ENT) maps to Network Administrator as an advanced credential for progressing toward/within this role, not an entry signal.Official source
Security, Professional (JNCIP-SEC)Juniper Networks · professional
60/100Hard$400 examadvanced adjacentSecurity, Professional (JNCIP-SEC) maps to Network Administrator as an advanced credential for progressing toward/within this role, not an entry signal.Official source
Service Provider Routing and Switching, Professional (JNCIP-SP)Juniper Networks · professional
60/100Hard$400 examadvanced adjacentService Provider Routing and Switching, Professional (JNCIP-SP) maps to Network Administrator as an advanced credential for progressing toward/within this role, not an entry signal.Official source

23 later-step or lower-priority mappings are kept in the data payload for review.

Adjacent, not primary

2 mapped

Useful only for a pivot or neighboring track; not primary evidence for this role.

CredentialDifficultyCostRelationshipWhy it appears here
CompTIA Linux+CompTIA · intermediate
50/100Moderate$399 examadjacentLinux administration can overlap with infrastructure operations roles.Official source
Cisco CCNA AutomationCisco · associate
50/100Moderate$300 examautomation specializationCCNA Automation can help network administrators move toward API and infrastructure automation work.Official source

Difficulty is the RoleMath Difficulty Score, not a pass rate. Certification mappings are planning context, not employer requirements, job guarantees, salary claims, or ROI claims.

Answer blocks

Common Questions

Will AI replace network administrators?

We won't give you a replacement percentage or timeline — no one can credibly produce one. AI and automation change tasks in network administration (config, monitoring, scripting); that is task shift, not role deletion. BLS projects the related occupation to decline slightly through 2034, but does not model rapid AI, so it isn't an AI forecast.

Tier B (factual): BLS puts Network and computer systems administrators (SOC 15-1244) at a 2024–2034 projected change of −4.2%, with ~14,300 annual openings a year — a forecast, not a guarantee; not an AI prediction. Note network certifications now include automation concepts (e.g., CCNA 200-301 exam topics), which is the role's tasks evolving, not vanishing. Tier A (research): an attributed occupation-exposure estimate would need published research indices not yet registered here; we decline to forecast.

Citations: U.S. BLS — Employment Projections 2024–2034, SOC 15-1244 (src_bls_employment_projections_2024_2034, bls.gov); Cisco — CCNA 200-301 exam topics (src_cisco_ccna, cisco.com).

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Network Administrator

Quick Verdict

Network Administrator maps to the BLS occupation Network and Computer Systems Administrators (SOC 15-1244), which has a national median of $99,130. Pay is occupation-level and location-driven - not caused by the job title or a certification. Below are the full cited labor-market context, the skills the role draws on, and the certification paths that map to it. This role has a high-confidence mapping to the listed O*NET-SOC/BLS occupation.

Fit Signals

  • Conventional (6.18)
  • Realistic (4.19)
  • Investigative (4.04)

Skills & Tools

*Tools and technologies ONET associates with this occupation* - role-specific examples with ONET hot/in-demand flags, not employer requirements:

  • Amazon Web Services AWS software (hot technology, in demand)
  • Ansible software (hot technology, in demand)
  • Bash (hot technology, in demand)
  • Linux (hot technology, in demand)
  • Microsoft Active Directory (hot technology, in demand)
  • Microsoft Azure software (hot technology, in demand)
  • Microsoft Excel (hot technology, in demand)
  • Microsoft Office software (hot technology, in demand)

*Foundational ONET skills** (broadly shared across occupations, not unique to this role): Critical Thinking, Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Monitoring, Speaking, Active Learning.

AI & this career

What we can — and can’t — tell you about AI and this role

Cited context only: an occupation-level outlook, descriptive usage data, an employer-language sample, and attributed research — kept separate. No RoleMath AI score, no automation timeline, no job-loss prediction. How we source this →

Occupation outlook · BLS

Where the occupation is projected to go

BLS projects Network and computer systems administrators at -4.2% employment change for 2024-2034, with 14.3 thousand annual openings. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

A forecast, not a guarantee; occupation-level, not about you - and BLS does not model rapid AI adoption, so this is never an AI prediction.

How AI shows up in the work

Descriptive usage, not demand or loss

For this shared SOC, the May 2026 usage sample reports 31.90% augmentation-labeled and 68.10% automation-labeled Claude conversations. Anthropic Anthropic Economic Index dataset, CC-BY.

Across all occupations the same dataset splits 51.4% augmentation / 48.6% automation (May 2026) — shown so a single role’s number is never read as an outlier.

Descriptive Claude usage data, not employment demand, not job loss, and not a personal forecast; CC-BY attribution required.

Employer language · sample

What a posting sample mentions

a sample of 4 postings (as of 2026-06-11) mentions these AI-related terms RoleMath public ATS employer-language pilot

Employer-language sample only; not official demand, market-size, salary, or certification ROI evidence.

Published research · attributed

What independent research says (not RoleMath’s claim)

  • Eloundou et al. estimate that about 80% of U.S. workers have at least 10% of their work tasks exposed to large language model capabilities (Science 2024). American Association for the Advancement of Science exposure = task overlap, not job loss.
  • Eloundou et al. estimate that about 19% of U.S. workers have at least 50% of their work tasks exposed to large language model capabilities (Science 2024). American Association for the Advancement of Science exposure = task overlap, not job loss.
  • Eloundou et al. explicitly disclaim any forecast of AI adoption or timing, describing their measure as capability overlap with tasks rather than a prediction of job loss (Science 2024). American Association for the Advancement of Science exposure = task overlap, not job loss.
  • OECD reports that high-skill occupations are the most exposed to AI on task-overlap measures (OECD Employment Outlook 2023). Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development exposure = task overlap, not job loss.
  • OECD reports that, as of 2023, there is little empirical evidence of negative employment effects from AI (OECD Employment Outlook 2023). Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development exposure = task overlap, not job loss.
  • OECD and the AIOE research find that AI exposure and automation risk often run in opposite directions, with the most-exposed high-skill occupations tending to be the least at risk of automation. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development exposure = task overlap, not job loss.
  • Felten, Raj and Seamans construct an occupation-level AI Occupational Exposure index by linking AI capabilities to O*NET occupational abilities (Strategic Management Journal). Strategic Management Journal (Wiley) exposure = task overlap, not job loss.
  • Stanford Digital Economy Lab researchers find a roughly 16% relative decline in employment for workers ages 22-25 in the most AI-exposed occupations, based on high-frequency ADP payroll data (Canaries in the Coal Mine, working paper). Stanford Digital Economy Lab correlational usage data, not proof.
  • The ILO notes that AI-exposure indicators measure potential task overlap and cannot by themselves establish job loss (Workers' exposure to AI). International Labour Organization exposure = task overlap, not job loss.
  • The Anthropic Economic Index reports no measured systematic rise in unemployment attributable to AI in its usage data. Anthropic correlational usage data, not proof.

Tier A research stays attributed and separate from BLS outlook and employer-language samples.

Every page here connects to the same cited data spine — these are the closest surfaces to what you just read.

Roles & paths this connects to

role comparisonNetwork Administrator vs Network Security Engineer — an honest comparisonrole comparisonNetwork Administrator vs SOC Analyst — an honest comparisonrole role cost and timeWhat it costs and how long to become a Network Administrator

Zoom out

maps to this roleCompTIA Network+maps to this roleCisco Certified Network Associatepre entry foundationCisco Certified Support Technician Networking

Every figure on this page, sourced

The claims above trace to these records — the source, and when it was last checked. If a figure has no row here, we did not publish it.

IDSupportsSourceChecked
SCHEMA-CIT-1Schema citationNetwork Administrator BLS OEWS wage sourceLogged in source packet
SCHEMA-CIT-2Schema citationNetwork Administrator BLS Employment Projections sourceLogged in source packet
SCHEMA-CIT-3Schema citationNetwork Administrator O*NET sourceLogged in source packet

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