The network engineer career path offers diverse opportunities, from entry-level support roles to senior positions overseeing complex IT infrastructures. With growing demand for secure and reliable networks, many professionals are exploring what it takes to become a network engineer in 2025.
In this guide, we define what network engineers do, outline key career goals and milestones, and break down the different jobs you can pursue along the network engineer career path.
Network Engineer Salary and Job Outlook
According to PayScale, the average annual salary for a network engineer is $85,037—as of September 2025.1 The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) classifies network engineers as network and computer systems administrators, and BLS notes that, “Despite declining employment, about 14,300 openings for network and computer systems administrators are projected each year, on average, over the decade.”
What Does a Typical Network Engineer Career Path Look Like?
Stage 1: Entry-Level Network Engineer
To qualify for this entry-level role, many employers expect a bachelor’s degree in information technology, computer engineering, or a related field. As a junior member of the team, you’ll help plan, install, troubleshoot, and maintain network infrastructure. You should understand Internet Protocol (IP), routing, and switching, and be able to select the right hardware for specific jobs.
As of 2025, the median salary for an entry-level network engineer in the U.S. is about $115,000/year, according to Glassdoor (as of September 2025).2 Certifications, such as Cisco’s CCNA and CompTIA Network+, can improve earning potential.
Stage 2: Network Engineer
With entry-level experience under your belt, you’re ready to become a staff-level network engineer. Not only will you plan and build network infrastructures, but you will also play a vital role in protecting your clients’ security systems from attack. You should have in-depth knowledge of network architecture, system software, and all applicable configurations.
The median pay for mid-level network engineers in 2025 is around $134,000/year, depending on specialization and location.3 Certifications such as CompTIA A+, Security+, and vendor-specific credentials remain strong differentiators.
Stage 3: Senior Network Engineer
Once you have between five and seven years of experience, you can start applying for senior network engineer positions. The technical and analytical skills on your resume should include detailed knowledge of AWS, Azure, Cisco ASA software, the Domain Name System (DNS), Internet Protocol Security (IPsec), firewalls, and wide area networks (WANs).
At this stage of your career, excellent communication skills and the ability to manage a network of people are crucial. These soft skills will help you oversee network configuration, manage the installation of network hardware, and implement networking solutions with your team. Glassdoor estimates that senior network engineers make $165,000 per year in 2025.4
Stage 4: Network Architect (Network Engineer IV)
As you continue to climb the ranks, your job titles will become more specific. Companies that hire level-four network engineers are looking for a network architect who is skilled in analyzing wide and local area networks (WANs and LANs) for network issues, backing up security systems, conducting site surveys, and acting as a network administrator.
The average salary for a computer network architect is $167,000; however, earning potential can go as high as roughly $216,000, according to Glassdoor in September 2025.5 You need between five and ten years of professional experience to qualify, and one of Cisco’s Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE) certifications will help you specialize your skillset and access a high-paying salary.
Stage 5: Principal Network Engineer
A principal network engineer, or principal systems engineer, oversees an entire computer system’s everyday operations. At this high level of expertise, many candidates have a master’s degree and several top certifications. Glassdoor estimates that the average principal systems engineer makes $216,000 per year in 2025, with the highest earners making over $270,000.6
Network Engineer Career Path: Important Milestones
To move along the network engineer career path, you have to achieve certain milestones. In this field, there are educational milestones, experience milestones, and more concrete network engineer career goals. Here are the five most important items to check off your list.
- Meet the minimum education requirements. The first milestone is getting your foot in the door with a Bachelor’s Degree in Network Engineering or equivalent formal education credential. You can also learn the rudiments of networking at certain coding bootcamps.
- Get certified. Several reputable providers, like Cisco and Juniper, offer networking certifications that can validate your skills. Not only will these certifications increase your confidence, but they can bolster your employability.
- Get some hands-on experience. Mid-level and senior network engineers have a lot of experience. Starting as an intern, apprentice, or network support specialist is important groundwork for any network engineer’s career development.
- Seek an industry mentor. Some networking professionals find themselves stuck on one of the middle rungs of the career ladder. To avoid this fate, it may help to find a senior colleague who can help you sharpen your skills, improve your resume, and apply for better network engineering jobs.
Apply for senior positions or apply to bigger companies. There are two viable options for your network engineer career path. If you don’t want to move up the ladder at a small company, you can attempt a lateral move and get a job at T Mobile, IBM, Juniper, Intel, Microsoft, or Cisco.
Planning Your Network Engineer Career Path
For anyone trying to sustain a career in network engineering, adequate planning is necessary. Below are tips on how to set yourself up for a future role in this profession.
Understand Your Current Situation
Whether you’re already in the field or on the outside looking in, you need to take stock of your current skills, education, and experience. Read real job ads and figure out what new skills and additional knowledge you need to acquire to be able to perform the responsibilities. Then devise a strategy for obtaining these skills and knowledge, taking a certification exam if necessary.
Excel in Your Current Role
If you want a promotion, you need to show that you’ve mastered your current job and are ready for a new challenge. Seek out opportunities to demonstrate that you can handle additional responsibilities. Take part in innovative workplace projects or fill in for a sick coworker and see if you can do their job. Don’t be afraid to go above and beyond.
Quantify Your Success
It may not be enough to be good at your job. You may need to take it a step further and demonstrate your value to your company’s IT efforts. Keep a record of how you have added value to various networking initiatives, and then communicate the results to your supervisor. For example, if you introduced a new process that cut server costs, make sure your employer knows it was you.
Show Leadership Skills
You can make yourself a candidate for managerial or supervisory roles if you step up and share innovative ideas and concepts. Attend every meeting and make your voice heard, help the company’s recruiting efforts by referring people from your network, and offer to mediate team disputes. You want to show your employer that you can be a responsible and effective leader.
Choose a Specialization and Stick With it
Don’t be a jack of all trades. Study emerging areas of technology in network engineering and make yourself an expert in one of them. Whether you want to go into product management for network services or learn cloud architecture, there are professional certification opportunities that can make you a stronger candidate for more specialized roles.
Popular Network Engineering Career Paths
| Job Title | Skills | Annual Salary | Job Growth Outlook (2024-2034) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Systems Analyst | Operating systems, relational databases, SQL server | $103,790 | 9% |
| Network Security Engineer | Routing protocols, operating systems, VPNs | $124,910 | 29% |
| Network and Computer Systems Administrator | Relational databases, shell scripting, database design | $96,800 | -4% |
| Network Support Specialist | Critical thinking, troubleshooting, mathematics | $78,640 | N/A |
Next Steps for Aspiring Network Engineers
A network engineer’s career development depends largely on their specialization. If network architecture is your specialty, you can become a network manager or network architect, where you will focus most of your attention on constructing networks and developing technological roadmaps. Whatever you do, stay focused on your career goals and never stop learning.
It’s always a good idea to look far into the future and decide where you want your network engineer career path to end. Are you happy with a tech support role, or do you have higher aspirations? If you have a dream of becoming a chief technology officer (CTO) or chief information officer (CIO) someday, be prepared to put in the work and keep climbing.
Network Engineer Career Path FAQ
To become a network engineer, you need to be able to troubleshoot and resolve network issues and understand the core concepts of networking. In addition to these technical skills, you need to effectively manage your time and be able to communicate and collaborate with others.
Fields similar to network engineering include network security management, systems administration, systems engineering, and network design and administration. These information technology fields are closely related in that they all deal with enterprise-scale network infrastructure and computer systems.
The most common qualification for network engineering is a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science or a related field. It is also worth mentioning that computer science certifications are common qualifications if you want to pursue a network engineering role and become a network specialist.
Yes, you can become a network engineer from home. Online courses, coding bootcamps, and remote courses are available for most vocations, including network engineering. You can take online networking and cyber security courses to improve your basic knowledge of key concepts and principles.
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Sources:
1 https://www.payscale.com/research/US/Job=Network_Engineer/Salary
2 https://www.glassdoor.com/Salaries/entry-level-network-engineer-salary-SRCH_KO0,28.htm
3 https://www.glassdoor.com/Salaries/mid-level-network-engineer-salary-SRCH_KO0,26.htm
4 https://www.glassdoor.com/Salaries/senior-network-engineer-salary-SRCH_KO0,23.htm
5 https://www.glassdoor.com/Salaries/network-architect-salary-SRCH_KO0,17.htm
6 https://www.glassdoor.com/Salaries/principal-network-engineer-salary-SRCH_KO0,26.htm
7 https://www.bls.gov/ooh/computer-and-information-technology/computer-systems-analysts.htm
8 https://www.bls.gov/ooh/computer-and-information-technology/information-security-analysts.htm
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