Systems administrator: what BLS projects, and the certifications that fit the change
Network and computer systems administrators keep an organization's servers, networks and accounts running. BLS put their median pay at $99,130 in May 2025 and projects the occupation to shrink 4.1% from 2025 to 2035, from 323,600 to 310,400 jobs, with about 13,400 openings a year. BLS lists a bachelor's degree as typical. The certifications that fit depend on what you administer: CCNA for networks, AZ-104 for Microsoft cloud, Linux+ for Linux servers, each of which costs $165 to $399 on the cheapest route (November 2026).
The occupation in numbers
| Jobs in 2025 | 323,600 |
|---|---|
| Projected jobs in 2035 | 310,400 |
| Projected change, 2025–35 | -4.1% |
| Openings per year, 2025–35 average | 13,400 |
| Median annual pay, May 2025 | $99,130 |
| Middle half of pay (25th to 75th percentile) | $78,010 to $126,640 |
| Lowest and highest 10 percent earn less than / more than | $62,640 / $155,050 |
| Typical education to enter (BLS) | Bachelor's degree |
| Work experience in a related job (BLS) | None |
The projected loss is about 1,320 jobs a year, small next to the 13,400 yearly openings from people leaving. Pay spreads widely: the top tenth earned more than $155,050 and the bottom tenth less than $62,640; BLS does not break pay down by certification, so no credential on this page comes with a pay figure of its own.
Day to day
O*NET lists 20 core tasks for the occupation. The center of the job is keeping systems healthy: backups and recovery, security measures for data and hardware, troubleshooting and replacing failed parts, maintaining email and antivirus, monitoring performance, and logging changes and repairs. Reported titles range from LAN administrator and network administrator to network engineer and systems engineer, so match certifications to the systems you actually run.
Matching the certification to what you run
| If you mostly run | Certification | Cheapest first attempt | With a live class |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cisco networks | CCNA | $300 | $3,795 to $4,495 |
| Microsoft Azure and Entra ID | AZ-104 | $165 | $2,560 to $2,660 |
| Linux servers | Linux+ | $399 | $2,495 to $3,194 |
| Mixed, moving into security | Security+ | $439 | $2,495 to $2,790 |
AZ-104 is the cheapest to keep: Microsoft renews it free online each year. CCNA, Linux+ and Security+ last three years. If your employer is moving workloads to the cloud, the AZ-104 against AWS Solutions Architect Associate comparison helps pick the platform.
Where administrators go next
Two neighbouring occupations have stronger BLS projections: information security analysts (+21% to 2035) and network architects (+7.7%, typically with five or more years of related experience). In our view both build directly on administration experience.
Questions
- Is systems administration a good career in 2026?
- It is well paid by the BLS figures, but BLS projects a 4.1% fall in jobs by 2035. Adding cloud or security skills points toward occupations BLS expects to grow.
- Which certification is best for a sysadmin?
- The one for the systems you run: CCNA for Cisco networks, AZ-104 for Azure, Linux+ for Linux, Security+ if you are moving into security.
Next step
Tell us what you administer today and where you want to move, and we will reply with the certification and route that fit.
Ask which administrator certification fits
Sources
- BLS Employment Projections: Table 1.2, 2025–35 (network and computer systems administrators, 15-1244), checked November 5, 2026
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 national estimates, checked November 5, 2026
- O*NET OnLine: 15-1244.00 Network and Computer Systems Administrators, checked November 5, 2026
Prices are published list prices we recorded on the dates shown, not quotes. How we research.
This page includes information from O*NET OnLine by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. We paraphrased and selected the content; USDOL/ETA has not approved or endorsed it.