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Boston Career Explorer

Computer and Mathematical

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.

Also called: LAN Administrator (Local Area Network Administrator), LAN Specialist (Local Area Network Specialist), Network Administrator (Network Admin), Network Analyst, Network Coordinator, Network Engineer

Median pay in Greater Boston
$116,770
$56.14/hr
Jobs in Greater Boston
6,760
Massachusetts 2024–2034
−6.2%
300 openings a year
Typical U.S. entry requirement
Bachelor's degree

Greater Boston: Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area, May 2025. Growth and openings: Massachusetts statewide projection.

Pay range in Greater Boston

Yearly pay in Greater Boston by percentile
10th25thMedian75th90th
$79,730$95,490$116,770$138,710$169,530

10% of workers earn less than the first figure and 10% earn more than the last.

What you’d do

  • 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.

AI and this job

AI exposure: how much of this job’s work AI tools can do or help with, based on national research. It is not a forecast of job loss.

Higher exposure69 of 100

The index averages three national research measures, each shown as a percentile of all jobs:

  • AIOE 66
  • Language-model AIOE 59
  • GPTs-are-GPTs 82

Observed AI use today: Substantial (Anthropic Economic Index)

AI exposure is higher, and AI tools are already used substantially in this work. Tools and automation can take over routine monitoring, log review, and simple fixes. Federal projections say some duties are shifting to DevOps roles and automation, and Massachusetts jobs are projected to shrink 6.2% from 2024 to 2034. Planning security, handling hands-on repairs, and solving unusual problems still rely on people.

Likely to change

  • Routine system monitoring and log review
  • Simple troubleshooting and software upkeep

Still relies on people

  • Planning security and disaster recovery
  • Fixing hardware and unusual problems on site

What federal projections say

“Occupational substitution, productivity change - share decreases as job duties are increasingly performed by DevOps engineers and similar roles, including software developers, and as workers increasingly use third-party automation tools or artificial intelligence (AI) to automate routine tasks.”
BLS Employment Projections 2025–35, factors affecting this job (U.S.)

Written with AI from the data on this page. Check with a career coach before making a decision.

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Training near Boston

College and school programs in the Boston metro area that lead to this job, with 2023-24 completions (IPEDS).

30 programs near Boston (plus 14 graduate)

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