[Bukhmanizer]

Even comparing traditional sysadmin work — where operations are even more crucial — to software engineering, it’s easy to see that engineers tend to get paid more, get treated better and have more freedom.

Obviously there are reasons for this, but it seems to boil down to broad generalizations in how the C-Suite sees your role, and very little in the particularities of the org or employee.

[mattbuilds]

The reason is growth. A sysadmin will make sure the lights stay on and the place doesn’t burn down, but they aren’t creating a new revenue stream. And when all these companies need to grow forever, they need to be creating new things, which developers do and sysadmins don’t.

[quickthrower2]

And that is why platform/devops is safer than the sysadmin. Not only do they help developers create new things, but make it complicated enough that you can't disband their team ... {tongue in cheek, sort of...}