Career comparison
IT Manager vs. Network Administrator
Side-by-side pay, training, growth and day-to-day duties to help you choose between two related careers.
IT managers earn more at the median ($175,140 vs. $99,130), while network administrators usually get to work faster (1–4 years of training). IT managers lead technology teams, budgets and strategy for an organization. Network administrators design, run and secure the networks and servers organizations depend on.
Pay data: BLS OEWS, May 2025 · Outlook: BLS 2025–35 · Checked October 15, 2026
| IT Manager | Network Administrator | |
|---|---|---|
| Median pay | $175,140 ($84.20/hr) | $99,130 ($47.66/hr) |
| Pay range (10th–90th) | $107,550 – $297,510 | $62,640 – $155,050 |
| Job growth, 2025–35 | +15.8% (much faster than average) | -4.1% (a projected decline) |
| Openings per year | 53,500 | 13,400 |
| Typical entry education | Bachelor's degree | Bachelor's degree |
| Training time | Bachelor’s plus 5+ years of IT experience | 1–4 years |
| Key credential | Project Management Professional (PMP) | CompTIA Network+ |
| Work setting | IT managers work in offices, often in hybrid arrangements, with frequent meetings and on-call responsibility for major incidents.. | Network administrators work in offices, data centers and remotely for businesses, schools, hospitals, government and managed service providers. |
What each job does
IT Manager
- Lead and develop IT staff
- Plan technology strategy and budgets
- Manage infrastructure, security and applications
- Select and manage vendors
- Lead IT projects
Network Administrator
- Install and configure network hardware and software
- Manage switches, routers, firewalls and wireless access points
- Monitor network performance and security
- Administer servers, user accounts and cloud services
- Apply updates, patches and configuration changes
How they’re similar
Both careers involve problem-solving, high responsibility, remote-friendly work, and high-pay. Both are part of the technology field, so many skills transfer between them.
Which should you choose?
Choose IT manager if…
- I like leading people
- I understand technology deeply
- I can make tough budget decisions
Choose network administrator if…
- I like understanding how systems connect and communicate
- I troubleshoot methodically
- I’m OK with after-hours maintenance sometimes
Still torn? Take the IT Manager fit quiz and the Network Administrator fit quiz, or the full Career Match Quiz.
Quick comparisons
Which pays more, IT manager or network administrator?
IT Managers earn more at the median: $175,140 versus $99,130 for network administrators, based on BLS May 2025 data.
Which takes less time to train for?
Network Administrators typically train faster (1–4 years) than IT managers (Bachelor’s plus 5+ years of IT experience).
Which career has better job growth?
BLS projects IT managers to grow +15.8% from 2025–35, compared with -4.1% for network administrators.