Like most workers, I think I'm underpaid. When I look at sites such as salary.com, the info there states that with over 4 years experience (I have 6 years now) I should be making a minimum of $61,000.00. I don't make anywhere near that. Can anyone else who is a Network Administrator tell me if that salary amount is realistic and I should move on to a company that knows how to pay market value, or is salary.com way off base?
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Network Administrator Salary
- Thread starter alexs0628
- Start date
There are too many unknowns to give you a salary.
What area of the country are you talking about?
How many Servers?
How many employees on the servers?
Are you responsible for the NT or 2000 web boxes?
Are you responsible for RAS, or other dial-in?
The list goes on...
If you're only responsible for adding / deleting users and changing rights on a single network (one or two servers) you're probably overpaid. However, if you're job is much greater and/or the area you live in is high cost of living, you may be underpaid.
Jim Osieczonek
Delta Business Group, LLC
What area of the country are you talking about?
How many Servers?
How many employees on the servers?
Are you responsible for the NT or 2000 web boxes?
Are you responsible for RAS, or other dial-in?
The list goes on...
If you're only responsible for adding / deleting users and changing rights on a single network (one or two servers) you're probably overpaid. However, if you're job is much greater and/or the area you live in is high cost of living, you may be underpaid.
Jim Osieczonek
Delta Business Group, LLC
MasterRacker
New member
As Jim said, there are too many variables to really tell. However, it's been my opinion that, unless you're a senior admin for a very large, enterprise class network, most of the salary sites give figures that are inflated.
Also, make sure you know what the site is reporting. Some list base and bonus separately, some list them combined, some list "total compensation" which can also include the value of things like a company car, insurance, etc.
Make sure you're comparing apples to apples.
Jeff
If your mind is too open your brains will fall out...
Also, make sure you know what the site is reporting. Some list base and bonus separately, some list them combined, some list "total compensation" which can also include the value of things like a company car, insurance, etc.
Make sure you're comparing apples to apples.
Jeff
If your mind is too open your brains will fall out...
- Thread starter
- #4
I'm a department of one. There will be two servers, I am installing the new w2k server now. (We currently are still using a Novell 3.2, the IT Manager is an electronics major who fell into computing after college.) And we will have an SQL server installed next, two Cisco routers, which a contractor will do, then I will take over from there. We do have a VPN now, so I will be installing a firewall appliance and we will have remote access for the managers by the end of the year.
There are 40 users. I am in the Chicago suburban area. I'm the Lan Administrator, Telcom administrator (Meridan option 11c), PC technician, help desk, web designer/administrator, Email administrator, Access database developer, handle IT Disaster Recovery design and implementation and the sign maker for lunches and meetings. I also support the 60+ field service force with regards to their portable data devices and cell phones.
There are 40 users. I am in the Chicago suburban area. I'm the Lan Administrator, Telcom administrator (Meridan option 11c), PC technician, help desk, web designer/administrator, Email administrator, Access database developer, handle IT Disaster Recovery design and implementation and the sign maker for lunches and meetings. I also support the 60+ field service force with regards to their portable data devices and cell phones.
unixtechie
MIS
alexs, your job sounds identical to mine about 5 years ago and I was making about $30k and was in the central part of the country - a plains state.
Being fed up with the pay and knowing/learning everything I did, I asked for a raise and if it didn't come through I would look for another job. Well, I ended up looking for another job and ended up a contract AIX admin for a Fortune 400 company for 6 months the went direct to hire. My salary was $70k and it topped out for Senior Admins at about $90k. My contract rate was $25/hr. and then got $15k more when I converted. This was for a Fortune 400 company. I recently saw an ad for a Data Warehouser at a Fortune 100 company in my city and it was $75k/year.
When I was let go I applied for a job in the Chicago area for an SP administrator position, and when they asked by salary I gave them a range of $110k-$120k/year (based on the cost of living where I am and there) but they didn't want to pay that so I looked elsewhere. But a RS/6000 SP admin is a step up on an AIX/Unix admin because of the specialized hardware, software, etc., so the pay is generally higher($20k/year +) than just a regular admin on standalone machines.
The thing is, it is entirely dependent on location (cost of living), market, skills, number of machines, experience, etc. Specialists make more than generalists, too.
I have looked around on dice.com recently and have seen some AIX jobs in Dallas and Chicago that are paying $130k and $175k repectively, however, these are contract jobs, and specialized (AIX, SP, Regetta). And contractors generally make more, but since they bounce job to job every few months, or if lucky 1 time a year or if really luck a 2 year contract.
Being fed up with the pay and knowing/learning everything I did, I asked for a raise and if it didn't come through I would look for another job. Well, I ended up looking for another job and ended up a contract AIX admin for a Fortune 400 company for 6 months the went direct to hire. My salary was $70k and it topped out for Senior Admins at about $90k. My contract rate was $25/hr. and then got $15k more when I converted. This was for a Fortune 400 company. I recently saw an ad for a Data Warehouser at a Fortune 100 company in my city and it was $75k/year.
When I was let go I applied for a job in the Chicago area for an SP administrator position, and when they asked by salary I gave them a range of $110k-$120k/year (based on the cost of living where I am and there) but they didn't want to pay that so I looked elsewhere. But a RS/6000 SP admin is a step up on an AIX/Unix admin because of the specialized hardware, software, etc., so the pay is generally higher($20k/year +) than just a regular admin on standalone machines.
The thing is, it is entirely dependent on location (cost of living), market, skills, number of machines, experience, etc. Specialists make more than generalists, too.
I have looked around on dice.com recently and have seen some AIX jobs in Dallas and Chicago that are paying $130k and $175k repectively, however, these are contract jobs, and specialized (AIX, SP, Regetta). And contractors generally make more, but since they bounce job to job every few months, or if lucky 1 time a year or if really luck a 2 year contract.
- Thread starter
- #6
I know someone in HR at another company who just emailed me some info. The STARTING salary information that this person has for a company the size of mine is $6000.00 more than I make now. And that's the just the starting salary. I think I need to make a change.
unixtechie
MIS
Definitely start looking for another job. Every company will try to pay the least amount possible, especially the small- to mid-size businesses. Large companies *generally* pay according to market.
A $6000 difference is significant. After being let go I found another job but I am making 15% less than I was, and my former company cut salaries before they cut labor, so in the past 1 year I have seen a 20% decline in my income. It does affect your standard of living.
Your current company may try to keep you when you find another job, however, I would not recommend you stay. Studies have shown that people who accept counter offers and stay in the current job end up leaving within one year anyway.
You have a great deal of experience working with a lot of different technologies and another company will be glad to have your knowledge and skill.
Good Luck!
A $6000 difference is significant. After being let go I found another job but I am making 15% less than I was, and my former company cut salaries before they cut labor, so in the past 1 year I have seen a 20% decline in my income. It does affect your standard of living.
Your current company may try to keep you when you find another job, however, I would not recommend you stay. Studies have shown that people who accept counter offers and stay in the current job end up leaving within one year anyway.
You have a great deal of experience working with a lot of different technologies and another company will be glad to have your knowledge and skill.
Good Luck!
One thing you have going for you is that you are in the Chicago market and they tend to pay more because it is a higher cost of living than most areas.
One thing you have going against you is that you're only on Novell 3.2 and Novell is well beyond that (I don't know the current version but they were on 4x 3 or 4 years ago).
The SQL Server and CISCO routers will be an added bonus once you come up to speed. I don't know what the Chicago area pays, but I suspect you should be making mid-40's right now and if you come up to speed on the other skills and upgrade to a current version of netware you could grow to 60k fairly quickly.
Just my 2 cents for whatever its worth (probably not even 2 cents).
Jim Osieczonek
Delta Business Group, LLC
One thing you have going against you is that you're only on Novell 3.2 and Novell is well beyond that (I don't know the current version but they were on 4x 3 or 4 years ago).
The SQL Server and CISCO routers will be an added bonus once you come up to speed. I don't know what the Chicago area pays, but I suspect you should be making mid-40's right now and if you come up to speed on the other skills and upgrade to a current version of netware you could grow to 60k fairly quickly.
Just my 2 cents for whatever its worth (probably not even 2 cents).
Jim Osieczonek
Delta Business Group, LLC
- Thread starter
- #9
jimoo --
You hit the nail right on the head. My current manager has been the big hold up that kept me from learning newer technology by keeping us on such an old server for so long. I'm finishing up the w2k server conversion in the next two weeks. That will be a feather in my cap. I figure that I can look for a new job after the new year, once all the upgrades are done. I'll have tech skills that are actually worthwhile to list on my resume.
You hit the nail right on the head. My current manager has been the big hold up that kept me from learning newer technology by keeping us on such an old server for so long. I'm finishing up the w2k server conversion in the next two weeks. That will be a feather in my cap. I figure that I can look for a new job after the new year, once all the upgrades are done. I'll have tech skills that are actually worthwhile to list on my resume.
unixtechie
MIS
When I was looking for a job I was told that Chicago and St. Louis were not impacted as the rest of the country in the IT area and there were still jobs available. Not sure if this is true or not but I would suspect it to a degree.
One thing to remember is that it is business - how is going to Novell 4.x going to help the business make money or save money. Just because it is a newer technology doesn't mean a business has to or should upgrade. IT has always been an expense to a company, so one has to show how it will make them profitable instead of just costing them money.
One thing to remember is that it is business - how is going to Novell 4.x going to help the business make money or save money. Just because it is a newer technology doesn't mean a business has to or should upgrade. IT has always been an expense to a company, so one has to show how it will make them profitable instead of just costing them money.
Like everyone else has stated Location is a prinary factor in what you should make. However, one thing that many companies look at it salary history and unfortunately comming up from a small shop this can often hurt you. Many companies take the approach that Salary range is 50-60K candidate X was making 45K doing the same thing we can bring him on at 50K which has him/her making more but we don't have to pay 58K. Other things that people have mentioned may come into play. I am sure that the Number of servers and users play significant role in estimating the salary. Typically the more you have to worked with, the more responisibility you have and with responsibility the larger the salary
As for SQL being a bonus I would be very careful and detail your knowledge with SQL. Migrating Access DBs to SQL DBs is diffrent than setting up and configuring a High Uptime, High Transaction server, which is diffrent that seeting up for and configuring a VLDB Datawarehouse. Although you can take skills and grow with the demands of the project you don't want to be put in a place of People believing you can do one thing when you haven't done it at all.
I would say if your dissatisfied where you are soley because of the money issue then maybe you need to reconsider why that is. If you get satisfaction and enjoy where you are (aside from the money) there is no way to tell what you will get at the next company other than the salary. I would rather work a 45K job where I enjoy enviroment, than I would getting 60k and hating the enviroment.
Have you approached you manager about your issue? At one company I reported directly to the VP of development, I asked for a private meeting one day where I bluntly stated "I believe I deserve a raise and these are the reasons" I listed out the reasons I felt the way I did in a manner the portrayed in a realistic way exactly what I did and the effort I put forth. His response was "Yes you do I'll start the paper work tomorrow".
"Shoot Me! Shoot Me NOW!!!"
- Daffy Duck
As for SQL being a bonus I would be very careful and detail your knowledge with SQL. Migrating Access DBs to SQL DBs is diffrent than setting up and configuring a High Uptime, High Transaction server, which is diffrent that seeting up for and configuring a VLDB Datawarehouse. Although you can take skills and grow with the demands of the project you don't want to be put in a place of People believing you can do one thing when you haven't done it at all.
I would say if your dissatisfied where you are soley because of the money issue then maybe you need to reconsider why that is. If you get satisfaction and enjoy where you are (aside from the money) there is no way to tell what you will get at the next company other than the salary. I would rather work a 45K job where I enjoy enviroment, than I would getting 60k and hating the enviroment.
Have you approached you manager about your issue? At one company I reported directly to the VP of development, I asked for a private meeting one day where I bluntly stated "I believe I deserve a raise and these are the reasons" I listed out the reasons I felt the way I did in a manner the portrayed in a realistic way exactly what I did and the effort I put forth. His response was "Yes you do I'll start the paper work tomorrow".
"Shoot Me! Shoot Me NOW!!!"
- Daffy Duck
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