It's not that someone necessarily wants to be a Jira admin, but rather, they want to have access to make changes directly related to their job. If they managing a team in some way, either project manager or some other role, they need to change how tickets are managed in Jira at some point. Maybe create new release versions for tagging tickets, or adjusting the lifecycle rules for a ticket. The easiest solution is to be a Jira admin. Otherwise, you need to find some permission for this user and request it. Then the next change needs a new permission.
I would equate this to an outdated model of Developer vs Sysadmin. The sysadmin controls everything about the production system. They don't want to change anything. The developer needs to release a new version, which needs a new library, or needs an update to the OS, etc. Or they don't even know what the production system looks like and the sysadmin won't help. So the dev wants root access to just fix it instead of going through excessive redtape.
I would equate this to an outdated model of Developer vs Sysadmin. The sysadmin controls everything about the production system. They don't want to change anything. The developer needs to release a new version, which needs a new library, or needs an update to the OS, etc. Or they don't even know what the production system looks like and the sysadmin won't help. So the dev wants root access to just fix it instead of going through excessive redtape.