Twenty years ago, not many companies had the need for computer operating systems administrators. Today, as virtually all companies integrate computer systems into their offices, these computer professionals are in great demand.

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"They work behind the scenes," says Mary Jo Orzech, director of academic computing services at the State University College at Brockport, handling a variety of tasks such as creating directories, setting up passwords for particular tasks, getting user rights and registering particular software.

Gary Gunther, operations /systems/network manager for St. John Fisher College, says "there isn't any one typical systems administrator" because the needs of each organization vary so much.

His office oversees the main computers for the college, handling the admin-istrative and academic computing systems. They process work that has been put into the system, run system backups and more generally "make sure the systems function properly," Gunther says.

As is the case with most careers today, a bachelor's four-year degree is virtually a pre-requisite for the job. However, there is no one single accepted course of study to prepare for career, since job requirements vary so much.

One of the most important requirements for a prospective systems administrator is that they be what Orzech calls "platform independent," meaning they are able to handle troubleshooting in any system, be it Windows NT, Unix, Macintosh, etc. There are several different systems at St. John Fisher, meaning Gunther and his colleagues do what he calls "a lot of juggling."

Orzech also stresses the need for having good technical writing and documentation skills, in order to write out procedures or instructions.

It is also very important to get additional education on the constantly changing computing environment. "We get sent for training at least once a year," says Gunther. "You have to remain as current as possible. If you don't keep ahead you're going to get run over," he says, comparing the need for training to a person who is trying to outrun a locomotive.

According to a survey from Robert Half International Inc., starting annual salaries ranged from $36,000 to $55,000 in 1997. Vito Polasek, marketing manager with Computer Concepts in Rochester, said NT administrators who are Microsoft certified start between $55,000 and $60,000 per year.

"You learn something new everyday, otherwise I wouldn't be doing this job," says Gunther.