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 1812 Network Engineer / Architect job postings in North Carolina in the past year and 51588 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 $135,541.
State
The average estimated salary in North Carolina for this career, based on job postings in the past year, is $129,936.
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 $119,884.
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 | 0% |
| Bachelor's Degree | 61.62% |
| Master's Degree | 14.53% |
| Doctoral Degree | 4.61% |
| Other | 5.51% |
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 | 8.7% |
| 3 to 5 years | 42.74% |
| 6 to 8 years | 26.96% |
| 9+ years | 21.6% |
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) (49.97%)
- Communication (41.28%)
- Operations (37.67%)
- Management (35.93%)
- Planning (24.53%)
- Problem Solving (22.05%)
- Leadership (16.82%)
- Information Technology (16.63%)
- Wireless Communications (14.85%)
- Customer Service (12.6%)
Defining Skills
A core skill for this occupation, it occurs frequently in job postings.
- Aruba (Network Management Software) (8.34%)
- Juniper Network Technologies (14.1%)
- Network Infrastructure (28.82%)
- Border Gateway Protocol (30.83%)
- Computer Science (31.46%)
- Local Area Networks (27.59%)
- Virtual Private Networks (VPN) (26.16%)
- Internet Protocol Security (IP SEC) (9.02%)
- Network Planning And Design (16.33%)
- Routing Protocols (15.32%)
- IT Capacity Management (7.76%)
- Firewall (45.25%)
- Network Switches (36.1%)
- Network Performance Management (18.16%)
- Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN) (11.68%)
- Wide Area Networks (31.47%)
- Network Routing (51.53%)
- Networking Hardware (22.28%)
- Multiprotocol Label Switching (16.25%)
- Software-Defined Networking Wide Area Network (SD-WAN) (9.49%)
- Network Security (26.32%)
- Network Quality Of Service (QoS) (10.74%)
- Network Troubleshooting (13.41%)
- Network Monitoring (13.05%)
- Network Protocols (11.78%)
- Open Shortest Path First (OSPF) (25.1%)
- Network Engineering (68.45%)
- Network Management (8.66%)
- Network Architecture (18.09%)
Necessary Skills
A skill that is requested frequently in this occupation but isn’t specific to it.
- Agile Methodology (6.54%)
- Change Management (7.36%)
- Technical Support (8.73%)
- Microsoft Azure (18.09%)
- Computer Networks (14.6%)
- Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) (11.65%)
- Operating Systems (14.58%)
- Data Centers (8.91%)
- Linux (12.81%)
- Systems Engineering (9.02%)
- Scalability (11.43%)
- Automation (20.78%)
- Telecommunications (11.42%)
- Amazon Web Services (16.12%)
- TCP/IP (18.1%)
- Cyber Security (8.15%)
- Information Technology Infrastructure Library (5.41%)
- Python (Programming Language) (18.83%)
- Project Management (16.17%)
- Ansible (11.1%)
- Virtualization (8.3%)
- Scripting (14.48%)
Distinguishing Skills
A skill that may distinguish a subset of the occupation.
- SolarWinds (7.67%)
- Fortinet (6.56%)
- Network Support (5.85%)
- Cisco Meraki (6.14%)
- Palo Alto Firewalls (5.87%)
- Cisco Networking (6.42%)
- Network Automation (6.93%)
- VxLAN (Virtual Extensible LAN) (4.03%)
- Software Defined Networking (SDN) (8.15%)
- Wireless LAN (5.22%)
- Complex Networks (10.72%)
- Network Analysis (3.23%)
- Cisco IOS (4.78%)
- Ethernet (2.99%)
- Enhanced Interior Gateway Routing Protocols (11.61%)
- Data Transmissions (3.63%)
- Network Configuration And Change Management (3.95%)
- Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) (4.13%)
- OSI Models (4.1%)
- IP Address Management (IPAM) (3.86%)
- IP Addressing (3.86%)
- Network Layer (5.38%)
- Voice Over IP (5.39%)
- Cisco PIX (4.04%)
- Network Diagrams (4.49%)
- Spanning Tree Protocols (3.98%)
- Network Time Protocols (3.71%)
- Multicasting (4.33%)
- Remote Authentication Dial In User Service (RADIUS) (3.39%)
- Cisco Routers (6.39%)
- Terminal Access Controller Access-Control System (TACACS) (3.13%)
- Wireshark (5.14%)
- Simple Network Management Protocols (6.1%)
- Dynamic Multipoint Virtual Private Networks (3.08%)
- Load Balancing (8.42%)
- IPv4 (4.04%)
- Network Topology (4.06%)
- IP Routing (3.48%)
- Subnetwork (4.22%)
- Network Access Control (4.24%)
- Packet Analyzer (2.95%)
- Hot Standby Router Protocol (3.61%)
- Internet Protocols Suite (6.27%)
- IPv6 (5.69%)
- Topology (4.53%)
- Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) (3.98%)
- Wireless Networks (8.95%)
- Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) (7.29%)
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 (7.57%)
- Network Quality Of Service (QoS) (13.9%)
- Juniper Network Technologies (18.25%)
- Spanning Tree Protocols (5.16%)
- IT Capacity Management (10.05%)
- Cisco IOS (6.18%)
- Cisco Routers (8.27%)
- Data Transmissions (4.7%)
- Ethernet (3.87%)
- Network Topology (5.25%)
- IP Addressing (5%)
- IPv6 (7.36%)
- Subnetwork (5.47%)
- Multiprotocol Label Switching (21.03%)
- Multicasting (5.6%)
- Network Architecture (23.41%)
- Network Diagrams (5.82%)
- Network Protocols (15.25%)
- Open Shortest Path First (OSPF) (32.48%)
- Network Switches (46.72%)
- Network Routing (66.69%)
- Load Balancing (10.9%)
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 Architect
- Network Systems Engineer
- Principal Network Engineer
- Lead Network Engineer
- Cloud Network Engineer
- Network Software Engineer
- Core Network Engineer
- Network Operations 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
- Network Administrator
- Cisco Engineer
- Network Support Technician
- IT Administrator
- 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 (1277)
- Allegis Group (1166)
- Marriott International (978)
- Lumen Technologies (970)
- Amazon (902)
- Insight Global (754)
- TEKsystems (747)
- Robert Half (638)
- Beacon Hill Staffing Group (570)
- GovCIO (547)
North Carolina
- Allegis Group (88)
- Genesis10 (78)
- TEKsystems (51)
- Insight Global (45)
- General Dynamics (36)
- BCforward (32)
- Spectrum (31)
- ASGN (31)
- CACI International (28)
- Zachary Piper Solutions (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.