 2004-2005
Annual SAGE Salary Survey
Rob Kolstad
Probably the sharpest focus for salary surveys is on the actual
salaries of the participants and the rate at which they are changing.
The SAGE salary survey asks dozens of questions about demographics
and other items that include benefits, certifications, commute time,
corporate policies, education, hours worked, location, professional
organizations, telecommuting, time off, and another 18 similar items.
However, once the demographics are collected, it's always the
same thing: "Show me the money".
This year's survey suggested that sys admins (of all kinds) generally
seem to be moving up the salary ladder, with a moderate number of
exceptions. Table 1 shows the breakdown of participants' experience
levels and the mean salaries and increases.
Overall, the average increase this year was 6.12%. Means, of course,
can be misleading. They are easily influenced by a concentration
of responses at either the high or low end. The median (50% above,
50% below) was 5%. Almost 27% of the respondents said they had a
10% or more raise in the last 12 months. About one sixth (16.0%)
reported no change in salary. (These statistics are calculated after
discarding extreme raises above 30% or below -30%.) Figure 1 shows
graphically how people did.
Formal Education
How much difference does formal education make for a person's
salary? The answer to this question must take into account not only
education but also experience (never mind geography and industry,
which also affect salary ranges). Table 2 shows some statistics
(where the education level is "education related to your technical
field"). Entries marked by "#" summarize a sample of respondents
that is probably too small to use for drawing conclusions.
The table's rows are ordered stereotypically by perception. Interestingly,
the salaries earned are not necessarily ordered that way. One might
conclude that technical certificates are worth less than a high
school diploma (or no certificates whatsoever). Generally, though,
the table supports the idea that increasing post-secondary education
increases one's earning power and sometimes decreases the average
raise one might expect over time.
Respondents Comments
This year's SAGE Annual Salary Survey document runs to 60 pages,
not all of which are summarizable here. The most interesting responses
for me were the free responses concerning the "future of the profession".
Last year's responses were quite dismal, with a general pall cast
over hundreds of them, what with off-shoring, automation, and layoffs.
Those responses have dramatically diminished and have been replaced
by optimism and enthusiasm. The most optimistic comments included:
"It's better this year than last", "I feel the economic situation
has improved", "The future of system administration is bright indeed
:-)", and "The most intellectually rewarding job I've ever had".
Summary
Members of the profession continue to see their salaries increase.
Of course, new people enter the field at lower salaries and higher-paid
people reach retirement or leave for other reasons. All-in-all,
though, it's difficult to argue that systems administration is not
a well-paid, vibrant, challenging career for those who enjoy it.
About SAGE
SAGE is organized to advance the status of computer systems administration
as a profession, establish standards of professional excellence,
and recognize those who attain them, develop guidelines for improving
the technical and managerial capabilities of members of the profession,
and promote activities that advance the state of the art or the
community. Members enjoy a variety of benefits including: the SAGE
Short Topics in System Administration booklet series; the option
to join the highly responsive sage-members list, an electronic mailing
list for peer discussions and advice; access to the SAGE jobs board,
and more. For a full list of SAGE benefits, check out: http://www.sage.org.
Rob Kolstad is SAGE Executive Director and can be reached at:
kolstad@sage.org. |