Network and computer systems administrators
Install, configure, and maintain an organization's local area network (LAN), wide area network (WAN), data communications network, operating systems, and physical and virtual servers. Perform system monitoring and verify the integrity and availability of hardware, network, and server resources and systems. Review system and application logs and verify completion of scheduled jobs, including system backups. Analyze network and server resource consumption and control user access. Install and upgrade software and maintain software licenses. May assist in network modeling, analysis, planning, and coordination between network and data communications hardware and software.
BLS SOC 15-1244 · O*NET-SOC 15-1244.00 · BLS 2025–2035 · O*NET 31.0
Median annual wage, 2025
$99,130
Projected change, 2025–2035
-4.1%
2025–2035 annual average openings
13,400
AI exposure
Very high
Editorial analysis
The sysadmin is moving from typing commands to supervising automation
Systems administration has steadily moved toward scripting, cloud platforms, infrastructure as code, and centralized management. AI can accelerate that shift by generating configurations, summarizing logs, diagnosing incidents, preparing scripts, explaining unfamiliar errors, and performing routine operational tasks through agents.
The dangerous command can now be generated faster too
Automation increases leverage, but it can also increase the scale of mistakes. A bad command executed manually might affect one server. A badly supervised automated agent could modify hundreds. Administrators therefore need strong understanding of permissions, testing, rollback, monitoring, and change control.
- Routine provisioning and configuration continue moving toward automation.
- Incident investigation can start from AI-generated summaries.
- Cloud services reduce some traditional hardware and operating-system maintenance.
- Identity, security, reliability, architecture, and automation governance become stronger career areas.
Systems administrators who design, supervise, and recover automated environments may be better positioned than those who avoid automation.
Labor-market picture
Two measures, different questions
These measures offer two different ways to understand the occupation: BLS projections show how national employment may change over time, while relative AI exposure highlights where tasks may intersect with AI-related capabilities. Read them with the work profile and your local context to decide what deserves closer investigation.
Employment
- Employment, 2025
- 323,600 jobs
- Projected employment, 2035
- 310,400 jobs
- Projected change, 2025–2035
- -13,200 jobs (-4.1%)
Relative AI exposure
BLS category: Very high. This is a relative task-exposure classification, not a forecast of employment change, automation, wages, or worker replacement.
Relative AI exposure · Very high
Work profile
Representative tasks
These task statements come from O*NET 31.0. They are source facts, not labels assigned by the AI exposure measure.
- Plan, coordinate, and implement network security measures to protect data, software, and hardware.
- 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.
- Maintain and administer computer networks and related computing environments, including computer hardware, systems software, applications software, and all configurations.
- Configure, monitor, and maintain email applications or virus protection software.
- Confer with network users about solutions to existing system problems.
Skills that matter
Skills in the source profile
Importance uses O*NET's 1–5 scale. Level uses its 0–7 scale. Select a skill to see its source definition and reported values.
Technology and tools
These technology records come from O*NET and show software or tools reported in the occupation profile. They describe work context, not a required checklist for every employer.
- Access software
- Internet directory services software
- Enterprise resource planning ERP software
- Document management software
- Development environment software
- Web page creation and editing software
- Object or component oriented development software
- Web platform development software
Preparation
- Typical entry education
- Bachelor's degree
- Related experience
- None
- On-the-job training
- None
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Source provenance
Labor-market and exposure facts: bls-ep-2025-35. Work profile: onet-31.0. Verify release details on the Sources page.