I agree with Matt but one of the skills (or traits) that a Senior SysAdmin should have over a Junior SySAdmin would be trouble shooting skills. These are gained over time. Going down blind alleys, Making mistakes and watching the Senior SySAdmin resolve an issue. So a Senior SySAdmin should have a certain number of years in the field/profession. Other trades/professions have this time limit. Plumbers/Machinists/Tool and Die Makers/Electricians etc have apprenticeships that are 2 to 4 years in length before they are labeled Journeymen. Lawyers have to pass the Bar and if they enter a firm they are considered Juniors until they have proven themselves to ascend the ladder to either partner or some other higher position on the firm (I guess to be lead counsel on a case). So if you look at other fields (Doctors is another one) there is a training period that a person has to server before they can be considered to be that Journeyman, Senior Partner, Resident. So I believe the same holds true in the System Administration field. A person could take all of the class work they want but until they do the work in the field without the umbilical cord of an instructor, mentor, trainer or some other aide they can't be considered a Senior SySadmin.
One aspect I always look for is if the person can take a task from start to finish in the prescribed time with minimal instructions.A person that doesn't have to be told to put Part A in Slot A each time. They can see the end goal and decide the path to get to it. So as Matt said there isn't an odometer but a person has to travel some portion of time on their own to gain that title of Senior SySAdmin. Besides having grey hair. >>> Matt Simmons <[email protected]> 9/20/2012 9:14 AM >>> If I were painting with a broad brush, I'd say that the biggest difference is that a junior sysadmin is learning what to do, a non-senior sysadmin knows what to do, and a senior sysadmin knows why. Everyone is always learning, of course, but I'm not sure you can easily divide the classes. So much of it seems to be based on experience, wisdom, and decision-making ability. There's no odometer for sysadmins, and even if there were, there's no guarantee of the quality of experience. I'm interested in what everyone else will say, too. --Matt On Thu, Sep 20, 2012 at 9:02 AM, Evan Pettrey <[email protected]> wrote: > An interesting topic of conversation came up with a colleague of mine > yesterday: > > "What are the primary differentiators between a sys admin with a senior > level skillset and one with a junior level skillset?" > > > I realize there are SAGE levels already defined but I'm curious as to what > you think are the most important differences? Is the difference between a > sr sys admin and a jr sys admin more based on an amount of expertise in a > given field or does it have more to do with their problem solving skills > and how they go about finding solutions complex problems? > > > Looking for something in your own words here vs. what some textbook says. > > _______________________________________________ > Discuss mailing list > [email protected] > https://lists.lopsa.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/discuss > This list provided by the League of Professional System Administrators > http://lopsa.org/ > > -- LITTLE GIRL: But which cookie will you eat FIRST? COOKIE MONSTER: Me think you have misconception of cookie-eating process. John J. Boris, Sr. "Remember! That light at the end of the tunnel Just might be the headlight of an oncoming train!" _______________________________________________ Discuss mailing list [email protected] https://lists.lopsa.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/discuss This list provided by the League of Professional System Administrators http://lopsa.org/
