14 Occupational Outlook Quarterly • Summer 2013

What do you do?

I provide technical support for the Web developers who manage two of my company’s most 

popular websites. Whenever the developers 

run into a problem they can’t fix, I help them 

find solutions.

Every problem is different, so I need 

to understand all the systems that make the 

websites work: databases, programming, 

networking, and lots more. By comparison, 

a Web developer usually only needs to know 

Web programming but will know it better 

than I do.

I also maintain the computer servers that 

host the two websites. These websites offer 

software applications that enhance our products. And to keep up with user demand and to 

accommodate new visitors, I have to improve 

how the current systems work and add more 

servers, sort of like remodeling and expanding 

a house.

To help me add new servers, I develop 

automation tools that act like a printing press. 

For example, I can bundle into a single template all the tools, settings, and data a server 

needs to work with one of our websites, and 

then easily install the template on as many 

servers as that website needs.

Describe your educational background.

When I started my bachelor’s degree in 

computer engineering, I didn’t know what my 

career would be. But I was sure I wanted to 

work with computers. Computer engineering 

comes in two “flavors”: hardware (electrical 

engineering) and software (computer science). 

I concentrated in computer hardware for my 

bachelor’s degree but switched to software 

for my master’s degree because I was already 

working with software as a systems administrator.

The most important things you learn in 

school come not from the material but from 

the professors’ experience in the field. They 

can provide examples of real problems, their 

thinking process, and how they found a 

My career

Jason Thomas

Mineola, New York

BLS fast facts: Network and computer 

systems administrators

•	 May 2012 employment: 350,320 

(excludes self-employed workers)

•	 2010–20 projection: 28 percent growth 

(faster than average)

•	 May 2012 median annual wage: $72,560

•	 Typical education and training: 

Bachelor’s degree

•	 May 2012 top-employing industries: 

Computer systems design and related 

services; management of companies 

and enterprises; colleges, universities, 

and professional schools; elementary 

and secondary schools; and wired 

telecommunications carriers

Web operations engineer
www.bls.gov/ooq • Summer 2013 15

when I no longer felt challenged by my job, I 

joined a start-up company.

At this start-up company, I had more 

responsibilities and less help. I had to learn to 

be more creative with my solutions to reduce 

costs and time. Five months later, I joined the 

company I now work for.

What’s been one of your biggest challenges?

When I started working remotely from home, 

I found it difficult to communicate with my 

coworkers. I couldn’t walk to their cubicle or 

talk over lunch. I mostly read emails. It was 

affecting my work. For example, I would have 

trouble figuring out whom to approach for 

help with a specific problem because I knew 

little about my coworkers or what they could 

do.

I had to put in a lot of effort to know them 

better. Whenever I went to the main office, I 

introduced myself and socialized. I also set 

up a chat room for us to talk online during the 

day and after hours.

What’s your best advice?

Job experience and networking are crucial. 

Working as an intern while pursuing a degree 

will help you land your first job. Once you 

have a bachelor’s degree, experience usually 

trumps education. Networking will help you 

throughout your career. You can learn new 

things from the people you meet and get your 

name recognized, for example.

The work is demanding and, especially 

early on in your career, you might be on call. 

You have to really want to do this. Professionals in my field are motivated and self-driven. 

Seek new challenges—not more money.

solution. But no textbook or course can keep 

up with how fast the industry is changing. 

Little of what I learned 5 years ago is still 

applicable today.

What was your first job out of college?

I started as a systems administrator in an 

internship I discovered at one of my school’s 

career fairs. I was eventually hired full time. 

I dealt with a variety of basic problems that 

took minutes to solve. For example, if a 

customer had trouble accessing the server, I 

might have solved the problem with a simple 

password reset. The problems I deal with 

today can take hours to solve, but that experience helped me build a foundation of knowledge that I still use.

The best way to encounter more problems 

and learn more solutions is by getting experience. In technology, there is no one solution—but there certainly are wrong ways of 

approaching a problem. My job is to find the 

most efficient solution.

How did you get this job?

I’ve been in my field for 5 years now, so I have 

met a lot of professional systems administrators. One of these contacts in my network 

recommended me for an open position at the 

company where he works.

What else led you here?

I’ve been working with computers since I was 

young. I started my first computer job when 

I was 15 years old. I was passionate about 

the work, so I decided to pursue a computer 

engineering degree.

After my first job out of college, I worked 

for a national media company as an associate 

systems engineer. The work was similar to 

what I did in my first job, but I also had the 

opportunity to take on more problems. I was 

then promoted to a systems engineer doing 

even more difficult work. Two years later, 

Jason Thomas was interviewed by Dennis Vilorio, an economist in the Office of

Occupational Statistics and Employment Projections, BLS. Dennis can be reached 

at (202) 691-5711 or vilorio.dennis@bls.gov.