Network Engineer / Architect
What Does a Professional in this Career Do?
A Network Engineer or Architect designs and builds computer network systems, including software and hardware. Runs program and system tests, solves technical problems and maintains the network system. Designs and analyzes computer network models.
Job Outlook
There were 1907 Network Engineer / Architect job postings in North Carolina in the past year and 59532 in the United States.
In combination with other careers in the Network Engineer / Architect industry, which includes the Network Engineer / Architect career, the following graph shows the number of people employed for each year since 2015:
Salary
Many new Network Engineer / Architect jobs have salaries estimated to be in the following ranges, based on the requirements and responsibilities listed in job postings from the past year.
National
The average estimated salary in the United States for this career, based on job postings in the past year, is $114,225.
State
The average estimated salary in North Carolina for this career, based on job postings in the past year, is $109,605.
Percentiles represent the percentage that is lower than the value. For example, 25% of estimated salaries for Network Engineer / Architect postings in the United States in the past year were lower than $101,057.
Education and Experience
Posted Network Engineer / Architect jobs typically require the following level of education. The numbers below are based on job postings in the United States from the past year. Not all job postings list education requirements.
| Education Level | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Associate's Degree | 5.63% |
| Bachelor's Degree | 60.36% |
| Master's Degree | 14.81% |
| Doctoral Degree | 4.31% |
| Other | 5.03% |
Posted Network Engineer / Architect jobs typically require the following number of years of experience. The numbers below are based on job postings in the United States from the past year. Not all job postings list experience requirements.
| Years of Experience | Percentage |
|---|---|
| 0 to 2 years | 9.12% |
| 3 to 5 years | 45% |
| 6 to 8 years | 25.88% |
| 9+ years | 20% |
Skills
Below are listings of the most common general and specialized skills Network Engineer / Architect positions expect applicants to have as well as the most common skills that distinguish individuals from their peers. The percentage of job postings that specifically mention each skill is also listed.
Baseline Skills
A skill that is required across a broad range of occupations, including this one.
- Troubleshooting (Problem Solving) (51.18%)
- Communication (41.99%)
- Operations (36.12%)
- Management (34.61%)
- Planning (23.33%)
- Problem Solving (20.92%)
- Wireless Communications (16.59%)
- Leadership (15.73%)
- Information Technology (14.96%)
- Customer Service (14.14%)
Defining Skills
A core skill for this occupation, it occurs frequently in job postings.
- Network Monitoring (12.11%)
- Juniper Network Technologies (12.93%)
- Network Architecture (17.79%)
- Firewall (45.25%)
- Enhanced Interior Gateway Routing Protocols (13.07%)
- Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) (12.45%)
- Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN) (12.25%)
- Virtual Private Networks (VPN) (25.34%)
- Wide Area Networks (31.75%)
- Wireless Networks (9.78%)
- Computer Science (30.29%)
- Cisco Networking (7.89%)
- Network Engineering (67.31%)
- Network Quality Of Service (QoS) (11.06%)
- Internet Protocol Security (IP SEC) (9.59%)
- Network Management (7.96%)
- Networking Hardware (21.46%)
- Aruba (Network Management Software) (8.54%)
- Network Switches (35.94%)
- Network Troubleshooting (14.02%)
- Multiprotocol Label Switching (15.99%)
- Network Infrastructure (26.67%)
- Local Area Networks (27.68%)
- Border Gateway Protocol (28.76%)
- Routing Protocols (15.81%)
- Network Planning And Design (14.75%)
- Network Routing (32.66%)
- Network Security (26.53%)
- Cisco Routers (7.72%)
- Open Shortest Path First (OSPF) (24.71%)
- Network Performance Management (15.8%)
Necessary Skills
A skill that is requested frequently in this occupation but isn’t specific to it.
- Telecommunications (12.22%)
- Ansible (9%)
- Scripting (14.31%)
- Scalability (8.65%)
- Microsoft Azure (15.51%)
- Operating Systems (15.01%)
- TCP/IP (18.73%)
- Computer Networks (13.88%)
- Linux (12.39%)
- Automation (19.47%)
- Virtualization (7.58%)
- Microsoft Visio (7.86%)
- Python (Programming Language) (16.49%)
- Project Management (15.95%)
- Technical Support (8.08%)
- Systems Engineering (9.41%)
- Amazon Web Services (13.97%)
- Data Centers (8.16%)
Distinguishing Skills
A skill that may distinguish a subset of the occupation.
- Cisco PIX (4.99%)
- Internet Protocols Suite (7.26%)
- Topology (4.5%)
- Network Layer (4.98%)
- Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) (5.35%)
- Hot Standby Router Protocol (3.62%)
- Network Configuration And Change Management (4.18%)
- Complex Networks (9.63%)
- Packet Analyzer (4.1%)
- VxLAN (Virtual Extensible LAN) (3.77%)
- Wireshark (6.21%)
- Network Topology (4.22%)
- IP Addressing (3.75%)
- Cisco Meraki (6.51%)
- Fiber To The X (1.1%)
- Palo Alto Firewalls (6.05%)
- Network Automation (5.28%)
- Multicasting (4.3%)
- Network Address Translation (3.65%)
- Data Transmissions (3.77%)
- Cisco IOS (5.09%)
- Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) (4.18%)
- Remote Access Systems (4.86%)
- Network Access Control (5.49%)
- Subnetwork (3.91%)
- Wireless LAN (5.62%)
- OSI Models (4.59%)
- IPv4 (3.97%)
- Voice Over IP (6.13%)
- SolarWinds (7.74%)
- Network Support (5.47%)
- Fortinet (6.14%)
- Spanning Tree Protocols (4.83%)
- Identity Services Engine (7.42%)
- Load Balancing (7.75%)
- IP Address Management (IPAM) (3.39%)
- Network Protocols (9.98%)
- Simple Network Management Protocols (6.21%)
- IPv6 (5.04%)
- Network Service (1.55%)
- Telecommunications Networks (3.46%)
- Network Diagrams (3.78%)
- Software Defined Networking (SDN) (7.56%)
- Remote Authentication Dial In User Service (RADIUS) (3.29%)
- Session Initiation Protocols (3.4%)
Salary Boosting Skills
A professional who wishes to excel in this career path may consider developing the following highly valued skills. The percentage of job postings that specifically mention each skill is listed.
- Network Support (6.65%)
- Fortinet (7.46%)
- Cisco Meraki (7.91%)
- Network Quality Of Service (QoS) (13.44%)
- Software Defined Networking (SDN) (9.2%)
- Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) (6.5%)
- Border Gateway Protocol (34.97%)
- Spanning Tree Protocols (5.87%)
- Cisco PIX (6.07%)
- Enhanced Interior Gateway Routing Protocols (15.9%)
- IP Addressing (4.56%)
- IPv6 (6.12%)
- Multiprotocol Label Switching (19.45%)
- Multicasting (5.23%)
- Network Engineering (81.84%)
- Network Service (1.89%)
- Network Protocols (12.13%)
- Identity Services Engine (9.02%)
- Network Access Control (6.68%)
- Load Balancing (9.42%)
Alternative Job Titles
Sometimes employers post jobs with Network Engineer / Architect skills but a different job title. Some common alternative job titles include:
- Network Engineer
- Network Security Engineer
- Network Architect
- Network Systems Engineer
- Lead Network Engineer
- Principal Network Engineer
- Cloud Network Engineer
- Core Network Engineer
- Wireless Network Engineer
- Cisco Network Engineer
Similar Occupations
If you are interested in exploring occupations with similar skills, you may want to research the following job titles. Note that we only list occupations that have at least one corresponding NC State Online and Distance Education program.
- Network Analyst / Specialist
- Cisco Engineer
- Network Administrator
- Network Support Technician
- IT Administrator
- Data Center Technician / Engineer
- Systems Administrator
Common Employers
Here are the employers that have posted the most Network Engineer / Architect jobs in the past year along with how many they have posted.
United States
- Leidos (1966)
- Lumen Technologies (914)
- Allegis Group (845)
- Randstad (797)
- Robert Half (788)
- TEKsystems (664)
- Marriott International (584)
- General Dynamics (581)
- Motion Recruitment (570)
- Red River (519)
North Carolina
- Genesis10 (81)
- Allegis Group (59)
- TEKsystems (50)
- MetLife (43)
- Verizon Communications (42)
- Randstad (38)
- Insight Global (37)
- Spectrum (33)
- Google (28)
- General Dynamics (28)
NC State Programs Relevant to this Career
If you are interested in preparing for a career in this field, the following NC State Online and Distance Education programs offer a great place to start!
All wages, job posting statistics, employment trend projections, and information about skill desirability on this page represents historical data and does not guarantee future conditions. Data is provided by and downloaded regularly from Lightcast. For more information about how Lightcast gathers data and what it represents, see Lightcast Data: Basic Overview on Lightcast's Knowledge Base website.