Will scripting help me earn more money?

I've seldom seen "systems administration scripting" as a requirement in job postings, but scripting ability might benefit you economically in two ways:

  1. If your résumé is sitting in a stack with several other résumés and your résumé lists scripting skill, your résumé might rise to the top of the stack.

  2. I've been in situations in which I'm the only script writer in an IT team of 20 to 30 people. I'm routinely asked to create scripts that solve major problems, some of them high-visibility problems. Visibility can stand you in good stead when raises or layoffs come around.