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Emily London

Ms. Mounts

Contemporary English

30 November 2017

Topic: Majoring in Computer Science and becoming a Systems Administrator

Thesis: Majoring in Computer Science and becoming a Systems Administrator takes several

recommended steps.

Annotated Bibliography: Majoring in Computer Science and becoming a Systems Administrator

"Computer support specialists and systems administrators." Techniques, vol. 80, no. 7,

2005, p. 40+. Academic OneFile, go.galegroup.com. Accessed 28 Nov. 2017.

The unknown author of this article explains what Systems Administrators do. They

explain that a System Administrator can work in an office or computer laboratory setting.

Chances are that System Administrators will be working a 40-hour week. They can be on

call during this time. Many businesses want you to have a bachelors degree, but some

only require an associates. Computer technology is growing rapidly and it is expected to

increase. The salaries are anticipated to rise as technology advances.

The information is from 2005, it has not been updated, and there isnt an author. Those

are the only reasons why I would not find this information credible. The cited the sources

that they used and there is great information that relates to my topic. The article is

copyrighted by the Association for Career and Technical Education, so that improves my

thoughts about this source. I would use this source for a research paper, but it isnt the

best source to use. It contains relevant information, it is just outdated.

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How Can I Become a Computer Systems Administrator? Learn.org, Learn.org.

Accessed 28 Nov. 2017.

This source describes the requirements to be a systems administrator. A bachelors

degree is required and the job growth is 8%. Some employers require specific certificates

by software design companies. They maintain an businesss computer network. This

includes cyber threats, technology issues, troubleshooting network issues, etc. Some

systems

administrators have to work on call. The Bureau of Labor Statistics said that the median

annual salary is around $78,000. There is a wide salary range for this job, because

systems administrators are in almost every industry.

I believe that this source is credible. It does not have a date on it, but it references 2015,

so it is at most 3 years old. The information is current and relevant. Learn.org claims to

have professional researchers that write their articles. This source contradicts the one

from Computerscience.org, but this one is more recent, so that could be why. I would use

this for a research paper, however, I wish there was more information. The article is too

short to write an entire paper on, but it would be a useful source.

Kolstad, Rob. "What do system administrators really do?" Communications of the ACM,

Dec. 1991, p. 11+. Academic OneFile, go.galegroup.com. Accessed 27 Nov. 2017.

Rob Kolstad informs the reader about what a System Administrator is and does. He

explains that you need at least two years of experience. However, a Bachelor of the Arts

degree or a Bachelor of Science degree can prove to be advantageous. He thoroughly

goes through all of the possible tasks that Systems Administrators need to complete on a
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daily basis. He also says what you should be familiar with in order to be efficient (dealing

with software and hardware configurations and installments, operating systems, security,

etc). Kolstad explains that if you want to be a Systems Administrator, you should desire

to become expert in the areas of database implementation, distributed computing

environments, and networking. If you are not interested in the undertaking, then

Systems Administration probably isnt for you.

I truly believe that Rob Kolstad is credible. Kolstad has a Ph.D in Electrical Engineering.

Although Electrical Engineering and Computer Science are two different concepts, they

go hand in hand. The information is beneficial, but it is outdated. The information is

relevant and it helped me understand what the career entails. I would absolutely use this

source for an actual research paper. I would be able to use this source the information that

I would need.

London, Austin. Interview. Interview. Nov. 23, 2017.

Austin informed me on what it is like to be going to college to pursue a career in

computer science. He is going to be a systems administrator. He pretty much dumbed

down everything for me so I could understand. It can get really complicated. He said that

it is basically dealing with software and hardware, keeping things updated and secure,

and helping coworkers when they have issues with their computers or even other devices.

I was informed that you can get a job essentially anywhere. A lot of businesses require

someone like this to assist them with their network.

I believe that this source is credible, but it is definitely not the best. Since he is just

starting out, he doesnt know that much about it. He knows what he will be doing after he
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finishes college and what the job entails, but he doesnt have any work experience with it,

yet. He has researched this career and he has wanted to do it for a long time, so he knows

a lot about it. It is nice to know what it is like as he is going through college to pursue this

career. This interview was helpful, but it would have been more helpful to interview

someone already in the field.

Network Administrator Careers. ComputerScience.org, ComputerScience,

Computerscience.org. Accessed 28 Nov. 2017.

(Knowledge from my interviewee: Some companies use the term systems

administrator and network administrator interchangeably. Some companies go from

systems administration to network administration as the company grows. In most cases,

the two occupations go hand in hand). They are responsible for maintaining the software

and hardware. They install filters and they conduct tests to see if there are weaknesses in

the systems. If there are weaknesses, they will upgrade and correct the firewall. The

workload is different depending on how big the company is. If you are working for a

large corporation, there will be many people with the same occupation doing the same

thing you are. You will be working together to solve the problems and fix the

complications. If it is a smaller business, you will more than likely most of the

responsibilities of the software, hardware, firewalls, etc in your hands.

I believe that this source is very credible. The article is not dated, however, it references

2014, so it is at most four years old. It was interesting to learn that what you will do is

depending on the size of the business. That could determine whether you want to work

for a small or a larger business. The information is relevant and current. I would use this
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as a source for a research paper.It contains an abundance amount of information

pertaining to Network/Systems Administrators.

Shannon, Christine. "Computer science and the liberal arts." Liberal Education, vol. 96,

no. 4, 2010, p. 42+. Academic OneFile, go.galegroup.com. Accessed 28 Nov. 2017.

Computer science regularly employs ideas from subject areas as diverse as linguistics,

physics, logic, mathematics, and psychology and then applies them across the spectrum

of human endeavors. Computer science is used everyday to make our daily tasks more

efficient. You can communicate with people, play games, watch videos, search the web,

etc. If you know how to program and how to make machines, the possibilities are endless.

Algorithms, which are steps that get you from Point A to Point B, can be used to solve

problems. However, there are limits to computing. There are problems that can not be

solved by any programs. Or, if they can be solved by a program, it is inefficient.

Christine Shannon is a former professor of mathematics and computer science a Centre

College. The article was made in 2010 and the information has not been updated. The

information is Shannons prior knowledge and it relates to my topic. I feel like this source

is not that credible because it is outdated information and it is only prior knowledge. If

she would have had facts and/or statistics to back up what she was stating, it would make

her more credible. However, the information was relevant to my topic and it did help me

to further understand the benefits of Computer Science. I would use this source on a

research paper, but it is by far not the best source.

Systems Administration. Study.com, Study.com, study.com. Accessed 28 Nov. 2017.

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Systems Administrators have to install and maintain computer systems and networks.

They do this to keep everything organized and easily accessible. Although people in this

field have a variety of educational backgrounds, most employers prefer people who have

a Bachelors in Computer Science. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the

projected growth for this occupation is 12% and the median annual salary was $74,000.

Systems administrators can have multiple different tasks. Most likely, systems

administrations will be managing servers, upgrading software and hardware, making sure

the security is up to par, and helping people with random computer-related issues.

I do not think that this source is credible. The facts and information are helpful, but there

just isnt enough. There is not an author listed, so we do not really know who wrote it.

They did cite the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, so that makes them slightly more

credible. The article was created in 2013 and has not been updated, so there could be

outdated information. I would probably not use this source for a research project; there

isnt enough information to reflect on.