level 1 support [help desk, aka entry level grunt work] generally makes between 30-45K. sysadmins generally make between 40-55K depending upon geographic location and size of the organization you're working for. these numbers are for large metropolitan markets such as toronto.
compensation all comes down to economics. for example, if the firm you're working for is a non-profit you're not going to make very much. if you're working for a firm where there are 100 executives that are billing out at $200/hr [such as attorneys] then your worth is significantly more. the more valuable people that depend upon you, the more you're worth.
if you're looking for mac-centric work, your best bet is education or creative. mac-centric networks tend to be fairly small networks [<200 hosts with the majority of mac shops being <50 hosts]. you'll find the largest mac shops to be private educational institutions and biotech.
my suggestion... focus on getting back-end experience such as network administration [preferably cisco-based] and servers. move away from the desktop. when your responsibilities are on the back-end, you affect more people simultaneously.
you'll find that as you move up in rank and salary, your role becomes more business/management and less tech. ultimately, the money is in management. if you decide to make it to the management level, you can venture out into the consulting end. bear in mind that there are various levels of "consulting". if you're able to sell your services to large organizations, generally, the compensation can be anywhere from $80-150/hr [in this current market]. nonetheless, higher compensation means less tech and more business. a business-minded approach is essential.
if you're willing to share that information.
