Guide To A Network Engineer Career Path

In this era of digital advancements and innovations, people working in the field of information technology (IT) are in demand right now. Jobstreet's 2020 Q4 report even cited IT-enabled services as the top industry for 2020. In addition, the field of IT grew the most vs 2019.

Network engineers are part of this broad industry. They work with IT professionals, web and app developers, and project managers, to design and create technological solutions. Various industries rely on them to ensure functionality.

Read on to learn what a Network Engineer career path looks like.

What does a network engineer do?

Network Engineers ensure that systems and infrastructure are designed properly and work as intended. Their day-to-day tasks include installing, configuring, testing, and maintaining these tools and applications.

They are also in charge of:

1. Operating systems
2. Application software
3. System management tools

Furthermore, Network Engineers need to stay up-to-date on IT best practices. On top of their skills, they have to be well-versed in the latest methods and techniques. Since they deal with high-level work, clients usually need network engineers to be on-call in case of escalations.

While requirements for Network Engineers vary from one industry to another, these responsibilities are similar.

Work responsibilities of a Network Engineer:

• Learn the best practices in IT
• Define and implement the system architecture
• Define and implement ant network architecture
• Use various applications to monitor the IT network, servers, and storage
• Manage various servers and storage
• Maintain and troubleshoot cloud infrastructures (both public and private)
• Backup and restore client's database 
• Create proof of concepts when needed
• Conduct user acceptance tests (UATs)
• Look into incident requests
• Troubleshoot and resolve the technical aspects of a system, network, or infrastructure
• Create, update, and resolve tickets that document user concerns
• Project management
• Write documentation for systems, networks, or infrastructures

Salary Range

The salary of a Network Engineer varies depending on:

1. Experience
2. Career level
3. Industry.

On average, Network Engineers earn an average annual salary of ₱359,350. This can be higher or lower depending on one's tenure and certifications earned. Factoring in bonuses and overtime pay, they earn:

• 1-4 years of experience: ₱325,508
• More than 5 years of experience: ₱465,668.

Considering that salary is an important factor for working professionals in the Philippines, working in this lucrative field can be attractive. This is especially true for fresh graduates who want to establish a career in IT.

The Network Engineer career path

As mentioned earlier, network engineers can choose to work in different industries. 

They can work in manufacturing where they can be tasked to design systems to improve efficiency. They can also work as cybersecurity systems engineers and help protect networks from threats.

Here are some jobs for systems or network engineers:

Junior Level (1-3 years experience)

• Associate Engineer for Embedded Systems
• Systems Administrator
• Systems Solutions Architect
• Enterprise Infrastructure Engineer
• Technical Support Engineer for HR Systems
• Radio Network EngineerNetwork Operation Center (NOC) Engineer
• Network Security Engineer

Mid Level (4-8 years experience)

• IT Systems and Infrastructure Engineer 
• Sr. Cloud Infrastructure Site Reliability Engineer
• System and Network Engineer
• Network Engineer
• Senior Network Engineer

Senior Level (8 years or more) 

• System Engineer
• Solutions Architect
• Control Systems Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) Engineer
• Cloud Solutions Architect
• Radio Access Network Engineer

What are the requirements for systems engineers?

Since the role is a technical one, Network Engineers need to fill a number of requirements. This also varies depending on the industry and field of specialization.

Systems engineers should demonstrate their expertise in:

• Software development. Network Engineers need a solid background in software development. They should know its various aspects, such as specification, documentation, and quality assurance.
• Troubleshooting. When there are bugs or glitches, they should have the skills to resolve these.
• Prototyping. Once a solution is created, they must be able to prototype it and create a corresponding proof of concept.

Transferable skills for Network Engineers:

• Problem-solving skills. As a systems engineer, one must know how to identify problems, figure out solutions and implement them.
• Analytical skills. Connected to problem-solving skills, they need to figure out the cause of problems and how to fix them.
• Critical thinking. Whether it's designing networks or fixing bugs, they need to evaluate situations quickly and provide concrete solutions.

Educational background

To become a Network Engineer, you need a degree in engineering, such as:

• Systems Engineering
• Computer Engineering
• Electronics and Communications Engineering (ECE)

Graduates of IT, Computer Science, and Management Information Systems are also much welcome to train in the field. Furthermore, taking certification courses such as the ones listed below can help.

Opportunities for continuous education

Since Network Engineering is a specialized role, many professionals take additional certification courses. These build additional skill sets to propel their careers, pacing the way for more opportunities and higher salaries.

Additional certifications and training

Professionals who want to take the Network Engineer career path are encouraged to take certification courses. Companies usually look for professionals who are certified in:

• AWS   
• Azure   
• VMware VCP   
• Network or Security  
• CompTIA Cloud+
• SAP (including SAP HANA and SAP ABAP)
• Oracle
• SQL
• Microsoft MCDBA
• MCSE
• MCP
• Cisco (Cisco Certified Network Associate)

These are just some of the many certification courses for Network Engineers. They can also merit from enrolling in these short courses from Luna Academy X Jobstreet to boost their employability:

• Machine Learning for Leaders Course
• Introduction to Amazon CloudWatch
• Job Roles in the Cloud

How to write a Network Engineer resume?

To write an effective resume for network engineers, they should highlight their skill sets. Doing so will catch the attention of recruiters. It will also set them apart from other candidates.

Download this Network Engineer resume HERE.

Ready to grow your career as a Network Engineer? Search for #JobsThatMatter on Jobstreet. Create your profile now to start applying, or update your profile to get better matches.

Get more career advice when you visit the Jobstreet Career Resources Hub.