Definition of SysAdmin
Definition
The definition of a system administrator is not well defined yet. SAGE has a good
description of the duties and jobs performed by SysAdmins. These
may include backups, installs, networking, hardware and
troubleshooting just to name a few. System Admins are often called
upon to perform jobs ranging from assisting users, to installing
software, to designing firewalls, to punching down phone connections.
The modern IT admin needs to be a true jack-of-all trades, with the
ability and the confidence to perform a multitude of tasks that
probably were not their the job description.
Titles
The titles of SysAdmins are also ill-defined.
SysAdmins are often referred to as System Programmers, System Analysts,
IT Professionals, System Managers, Network Engineers and even SysOps.
The actual title rarely describes the jobs performed and at the speed
the computer industry moves, it is common for even the jobs performed
to change over time.
Education
Even the training of a SysAdmin is widely varied.
Most have backgrounds in Computer Science or Engineering, but may also
include training in such fields as, physics, geology, management,
mathematics, high school, TV/VCR repair, you get the idea. Many
System Analysts haven't had any specific education, and learned all they
know on the job simply poking around.However, there is no
formal education, such as college degree programs, available in System
Administration, there is only on-the-job learning, short training
sessions, and the occasional college course.
Certification
There are many professional certifications that can apply to SysAdmins:
MCSE,
CNE,
Cisco and
RHCE
are established certifications.
LPI,
SAGE and
SANS are also working
on similar certifications specificly for SAs.
The certification of System Administrators is really still in it's
infant stage. True, some certifications have been around for some
time (MCSE and CNE) but they don't really test the ability of a
SysAdmin, merely the knowledge of a certain operating system. In
fact, the training of IT professionals has always been a bone with
many employers in the past. The lack of a standard training and
certification process has made many managers uneasy about hiring
sysadminis. We of course know that the true test of a computer
administrator is what he/she can do under stress and tough situations
and not some score on a test. Unfortunately, managers and Human
Resource workers like to see scores and numbers they can sort and
quantify.
Today's Date:
Last Modified:
K. Scott Rowe