Youâre at a crossroads. Youâve got some IT experience under your belt, maybe youâre moving up from help desk, and you keep seeing two paths that sound kind of similar: network engineer and system administrator.
The internet will tell you these are basically the same job with different titles. The internet is wrong.
These roles share some DNA. Both keep infrastructure running, both troubleshoot at 2 AM, both require understanding how systems talk to each other. But the skills you build, the problems you solve daily, and where your career goes in five years? Completely different trajectories.
Hereâs the decision framework you actually need.
The Core Difference in 30 Seconds
Network engineers specialize in the connections between systems. Routers, switches, firewalls, VPNs, wireless access pointsâanything that moves data from point A to point B falls in your domain. You think in terms of packets, protocols, and topology.
System administrators specialize in the systems themselves. Servers, operating systems, applications, user accounts, backups, storageâyou keep the machines running that the network connects. You think in terms of uptime, permissions, and configurations.
The overlap? Both roles touch servers, both deal with troubleshooting, and both require understanding how networks work. But network engineers go deep on the network layer while sysadmins go deep on the compute layer.
Think of it this way: when an application is slow, the network engineer asks âIs the traffic getting through efficiently?â The sysadmin asks âIs the server handling requests properly?â The answer is usually both, which is why these roles collaborate constantly.
Quick Comparison: What Youâre Choosing Between
| Factor | Network Engineer | System Administrator |
|---|---|---|
| Median Salary | $122,000 | $96,800 |
| Entry Salary | $70,000-$85,000 | $56,000-$70,000 |
| Primary Focus | Routing, switching, connectivity | Servers, applications, user management |
| Key Certifications | CCNA, CCNP, Network+ | MCSA, RHCSA, AWS/Azure certs |
| Typical Entry Point | NOC technician, network admin | Help desk, junior sysadmin |
| Career Ceiling | Network architect ($150K+) | IT director, cloud architect ($140K+) |
| On-Call Stress | High (outages are visible) | High (everything is your problem) |
| Remote Work | Moderate (hardware needs hands) | Higher (most tasks are remote-friendly) |
What Network Engineers Actually Do
Letâs kill the abstraction and talk about real work.
The Daily Reality
A network engineerâs day usually starts with monitoring dashboards. Youâre looking for bandwidth spikes, latency issues, failed connections, and any red indicators that mean something in your network topology isnât behaving.
According to Indeedâs network engineer job analysis, core responsibilities include:
- Designing and implementing network infrastructure (LANs, WANs, VPNs)
- Configuring and maintaining routers, switches, and firewalls
- Monitoring network performance and troubleshooting connectivity issues
- Planning capacity upgrades and technology refreshes
- Documenting network topology and configuration standards
- Responding to outages and security incidents
Hereâs what that looks like in practice: You might spend your morning reviewing logs from an overnight firewall upgrade, your afternoon planning the network architecture for a new office location, and your evening handling an escalation because a branch office lost connectivity and the business is screaming.
The Skills That Matter
Network engineering is one of the most certification-dependent roles in IT. The CCNA certification remains the industry standard for proving you understand routing, switching, and Cisco technologiesâwhich still dominate enterprise networks. (For a broader look at certification strategy, see our IT certifications hub.)
Beyond certifications, you need hands-on experience with:
- Routing protocols: OSPF, BGP, EIGRP
- Switching concepts: VLANs, spanning tree, port security
- Firewalls: Cisco ASA, Palo Alto, Fortinet
- Wireless: Controller-based deployments, RF design, troubleshooting
- Automation: Python, Ansible, Terraform (becoming required, not optional)
That last point matters more than ever. Gartner predicts that 30% of enterprises will automate more than half their network activities by 2026. Network engineers who can write automation scripts will out-earn those who canât.
Who Thrives Here
Network engineering suits people who like solving puzzles with clear rules. Protocols behave predictablyâwhen they donât, something is misconfigured, and you can trace the logic.
Youâll also need patience for detail-oriented work. One wrong digit in a subnet mask can take down an entire site. One routing loop can crash network performance for thousands of users. The stakes are high, and the feedback is immediate.
If you like the idea of understanding the invisible infrastructure that makes everything else possible, this path might be for you.
What System Administrators Actually Do
Now letâs look at the other side.
The Daily Reality
System administrators wake up to a different kind of chaos. Your tickets are about failed logins, crashed applications, full disks, slow servers, backup failures, and âmy files are gone.â
According to Splunkâs analysis of the sysadmin role, the core responsibilities include:
- Installing, configuring, and maintaining servers and operating systems
- Managing user accounts, permissions, and Active Directory
- Monitoring system performance and optimizing resource usage
- Implementing and managing backup and disaster recovery procedures
- Applying security patches and managing vulnerabilities
- Supporting applications and troubleshooting system issues
The âjack of all tradesâ reputation is accurate. One hour youâre debugging a Windows Server issue, the next youâre resizing a Linux partition, and then youâre explaining to accounting why they canât have admin access to their machines.
The Skills That Matter
Sysadmins need broader knowledge across more technologies. Your typical environment includes:
- Operating systems: Windows Server, Linux distributions (Linux skills are increasingly essential)
- Directory services: Active Directory, Azure AD, LDAP
- Virtualization: VMware, Hyper-V, Proxmox
- Cloud platforms: AWS, Azure, Google Cloud
- Scripting: PowerShell for Windows, Bash for Linux, Python for both
- Backup and storage: Veeam, Commvault, SAN/NAS management
For hands-on practice, platforms like Shell Samurai let you build command-line muscle memory in a safe environmentâwhich matters because most server troubleshooting happens through a terminal, not a GUI.
Certifications matter but are more varied. Thereâs no single âgold standardâ like CCNA. Instead, sysadmins chase vendor-specific certs like Microsoftâs Azure Administrator, Red Hatâs RHCSA, or AWS Solutions Architect depending on what technologies their environments use.
Who Thrives Here
System administration suits people who like variety and solving different problems every day. Youâre constantly context-switching between technologies, users, and urgency levels.
You also need thick skin. Users will blame you for things that arenât your fault. Applications will break in ways the vendor swears are impossible. Youâll be expected to be an expert in software youâve never seen before because âit runs on a server, so itâs ITâs responsibility.â
If you like being the person who keeps everything runningâand can handle the breadth of problems that comes withâthis is your path.
Salary Comparison: Letâs Be Specific
Both roles pay well, but network engineers generally earn more. Hereâs the breakdown based on 2025/2026 salary data:
| Experience Level | Network Engineer | System Administrator |
|---|---|---|
| Entry (0-2 years) | $70,000-$85,000 | $56,000-$70,000 |
| Mid (3-5 years) | $90,000-$120,000 | $75,000-$95,000 |
| Senior (5-10 years) | $120,000-$150,000 | $95,000-$120,000 |
| Lead/Architect (10+ years) | $150,000-$200,000 | $120,000-$160,000 |
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The gap exists for a few reasons:
- Specialization premium: Network engineering is narrower and deeper, and specialists typically earn more than generalists
- Business visibility: Network outages immediately impact everyone, making network engineers more visible to leadership
- Certification requirements: CCNA/CCNP certifications have higher barriers than most sysadmin certifications
That said, sysadmins who specialize in cloud infrastructure can match or exceed network engineer salaries. An AWS-certified DevOps engineer or cloud architect often earns $140,000+.
The real lesson? Both paths can reach six figures. The ceiling depends more on your specialization and continued skill development than your starting title.
Career Progression: Where Each Path Leads
Network Engineer Career Ladder
The typical progression looks like:
- NOC Technician / Network Admin (1-3 years): Monitoring, basic troubleshooting, escalating issues
- Network Engineer (3-7 years): Design, implementation, complex troubleshooting
- Senior Network Engineer (5-10 years): Architecture decisions, mentoring, major projects
- Network Architect (8+ years): Strategic planning, vendor relationships, setting standards
Lateral moves include:
- Security Engineer: Specializing in network security, firewalls, intrusion detection
- Cloud Network Engineer: Focusing on AWS VPC, Azure networking, hybrid connectivity
- DevOps/NetOps: Automation-focused network operations
The network engineer career guide covers these paths in more detail.
System Administrator Career Ladder
The typical progression:
- Help Desk / Junior Sysadmin (1-3 years): User support, basic server tasks, learning the environment
- System Administrator (3-7 years): Server management, project work, expanding scope
- Senior System Administrator (5-10 years): Architecture, automation, complex environments
- Systems Engineer / IT Manager (8+ years): Leadership, strategy, cross-team coordination
Lateral moves include:
- DevOps Engineer: If you lean into automation and CI/CD (the DevOps path)
- Cloud Administrator: Specializing in AWS, Azure, or GCP
- Site Reliability Engineer: Focusing on uptime, automation, and scale
- Security Administrator: Adding security specialization to sysadmin fundamentals
One notable difference: sysadmins often move into management faster than network engineers. The generalist background translates well to overseeing diverse IT teams, while network engineers typically stay technical longer.
The Honest Pros and Cons
Network Engineer
Pros:
- Higher starting and median salaries
- Clear certification path (CCNA â CCNP â CCIE)
- Specialized expertise commands respect
- Problems have clear technical solutions
- Growing demand for cloud networking skills
Cons:
- On-call is brutal (outages are emergencies)
- Hardware work means you canât always be remote
- Specialization limits job flexibility
- Technology changes require constant relearning
- Fewer jobs available compared to sysadmin roles
System Administrator
Pros:
- More job openings across more industries
- Broader skill set means more flexibility
- Easier transition to management or DevOps
- Many tasks can be done remotely
- Every company needs sysadmins; not all need network engineers
Cons:
- Lower median salary than network engineers
- âJack of all tradesâ sometimes means âmaster of noneâ
- Youâre blamed for everything that runs on a computer
- Scope creep is constant (everything becomes your responsibility)
- Certification path is less clear
Work-Life Balance Reality
Neither role is particularly relaxed. Both have on-call rotations, and both deal with emergencies that donât respect business hours.
That said, thereâs a qualitative difference in stress:
- Network engineers face high-stakes, high-visibility problems. When the network is down, everyone knows, and executives are calling.
- System administrators face constant low-to-medium severity problems. Youâre rarely in a crisis, but youâre never not in something.
Some people prefer the intensity spikes of network engineering over the steady grind of sysadmin work. Others prefer the opposite. Know yourself.
For managing the stress of either role, our IT burnout recovery guide has practical strategies.
Making the Decision: A Framework
Hereâs a diagnostic to cut through the analysis paralysis.
Choose Network Engineer If:
- You like going deep on one domain rather than broad across many
- Youâre comfortable with Cisco (or willing to become so)
- You find routing, switching, and protocols genuinely interesting
- You want higher earning potential earlier in your career
- Youâre okay with less remote flexibility
- You prefer problems with deterministic solutions
Choose System Administrator If:
- You like variety and wearing multiple hats
- Youâre drawn to server and application management
- You want maximum job market flexibility
- Youâre interested in cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP)
- You value remote work options
- Youâre considering management as a long-term goal
The Hybrid Question
What if you want both? Youâre not alone in asking.
The reality is that most IT professionals end up with skills in both areas. Network engineers learn enough about servers to troubleshoot application issues. System administrators learn enough about networking to configure firewalls and debug connectivity.
But your career branding should lean one direction. When you apply for jobs, hiring managers want to see depth in either networks or systems. âI can do bothâ often reads as âIâm expert in neither.â
Pick a primary path. Build depth there. Accumulate adjacent skills naturally as you need them.
Getting Started on Either Path
Entry Points for Network Engineering
Most network engineers start in one of these roles:
- NOC Technician: Monitoring networks, escalating issues, learning the environment
- Network Administrator: Managing existing network infrastructure
- IT Support with networking focus: General IT role emphasizing network troubleshooting
The CCNA certification significantly accelerates entry. Many employers list it as required or strongly preferred for network roles.
Home lab options include GNS3 for network simulation and Cisco Packet Tracer for learning Cisco technologies without expensive hardware.
Entry Points for System Administration
Most sysadmins start from:
- Help Desk / Desktop Support: The classic entry point (help desk to sysadmin guide)
- Junior System Administrator: Entry-level sysadmin at a smaller organization
- IT Technician: General IT role with server exposure
Certifications that help include CompTIA Server+, Microsoft certifications (Azure Admin, MCSA), and Linux certs (RHCSA, Linux+).
For hands-on practice, building a home lab is incredibly valuable. You can run virtual servers for free using VirtualBox or Proxmox, and practice Linux administration with Shell Samuraiâs interactive challenges.
Interview Preparation for Each Role
The technical interview questions differ substantially:
Network Engineer Interview Topics
- Subnetting and CIDR notation
- OSI model and TCP/IP fundamentals
- Routing protocols (OSPF, BGP, EIGRP)
- Switching concepts (VLANs, STP, trunking)
- Network troubleshooting methodology
- Firewall configuration and ACLs
See our network engineer interview guide for specific question examples.
System Administrator Interview Topics
- Operating system fundamentals (Windows Server, Linux)
- Active Directory and user management
- Backup and disaster recovery
- Virtualization technologies
- Cloud services basics
- Scripting and automation
Both roles will include troubleshooting scenarios where you walk through diagnosing issues step-by-step.
The Market Reality in 2026
Both roles are hiring. The BLS projects 3% growth for network and computer systems administrators through 2033âslower than average but still steady demand.
However, the nature of both jobs is evolving:
Network engineering is shifting toward software-defined networking (SDN), cloud networking, and automation. Pure âCLI jockeyâ roles are declining; network engineers who canât script will struggle.
System administration is merging with cloud operations and DevOps. Traditional on-premise sysadmins are transitioning to cloud infrastructure management, and the DevOps vs SRE debate is where a lot of modern sysadmin skills land.
Neither role is going away. But both are transforming, and the specific skills that get you hired will look different in five years.
Final Verdict: Which Should You Choose?
Hereâs the honest answer: thereâs no universally âbetterâ choice.
Network engineering offers higher pay, clearer specialization, and respected credentials. Itâs the right path if you want to go deep on infrastructure connectivity and are willing to accept the on-call lifestyle.
System administration offers more job openings, broader skill development, and better management transition options. Itâs the right path if you prefer variety, want maximum flexibility, and enjoy being the generalist who keeps everything running.
Both lead to six-figure careers. Both can pivot to cloud, security, or management. Both require continuous learning as technology evolves.
The deciding factor is usually what you find interesting day-to-day. The best IT professionals arenât the ones who picked the âoptimalâ pathâtheyâre the ones who picked the path that held their attention long enough to develop real expertise.
If youâre still unsure, shadow someone in each role. Ask for informational interviews. Try building both a home lab with network gear and a virtual server environment. See which one pulls your attention.
That signal matters more than any salary comparison.
FAQ
Can I switch between network engineering and system administration later?
Yes, but it gets harder with experience. Junior-to-mid-level professionals switch regularlyâthe foundational skills overlap enough that itâs manageable. Senior professionals find switching more difficult because employers expect deep expertise by that point. If you think you might want both, consider aiming for hybrid roles like infrastructure engineer or cloud engineer where both skill sets are valued.
Do I need a degree for either role?
Neither role strictly requires a degree, though it can help get through HR screening at larger companies. Certifications often matter moreâa CCNA or AWS certification will open more doors than a general IT degree for most employers. See our guide on IT careers without a degree for more on this.
Which role has better remote work options?
System administration generally offers more remote flexibility. Most sysadmin tasks can be done through remote access to servers. Network engineering often requires physical access to hardwareâconfiguring switches, running cables, troubleshooting physical connectivity issues. That said, cloud networking roles are highly remote-friendly, and even traditional network engineering is more remote-viable than a decade ago.
What if Iâm interested in security?
Both roles can transition into security. Network engineers often become network security engineers, focusing on firewalls, IDS/IPS, and secure network architecture. System administrators often become security administrators or move into SOC analyst roles, focusing on endpoint security, SIEM, and vulnerability management. See our cybersecurity career path guide for transition strategies.
Is one role being automated away faster than the other?
Both are seeing automation, but neither is disappearing. Network automation (Ansible, Terraform, Python scripting) is reducing the manual CLI work in network engineering, but someone still needs to write and manage that automation. Similarly, cloud services are abstracting some sysadmin work, but cloud infrastructure still needs people who understand systems. The roles are evolving, not evaporating. The professionals who embrace automation will thrive; those who resist it will struggle.