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Information Technology | Network Engineer / Architect

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 1780 Network Engineer / Architect job postings in North Carolina in the past year and 52120 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 LevelPercentage
Associate's Degree0%
Bachelor's Degree61.39%
Master's Degree14.68%
Doctoral Degree4.58%
Other5.39%

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 ExperiencePercentage
0 to 2 years8.57%
3 to 5 years43.21%
6 to 8 years26.73%
9+ years21.49%

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) (49.93%)
  • Communication (41.3%)
  • Operations (37.35%)
  • Management (35.5%)
  • Planning (24.37%)
  • Problem Solving (21.91%)
  • Leadership (16.76%)
  • Information Technology (16.15%)
  • Wireless Communications (14.74%)
  • Customer Service (12.82%)

Defining Skills

A core skill for this occupation, it occurs frequently in job postings.

  • Software Defined Networking (SDN) (8.17%)
  • Network Infrastructure (28.66%)
  • Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) (11.81%)
  • Juniper Network Technologies (14.13%)
  • Border Gateway Protocol (30.89%)
  • Computer Science (31.47%)
  • Cisco Routers (6.62%)
  • Firewall (45.42%)
  • Internet Protocol Security (IP SEC) (8.99%)
  • Network Security (25.92%)
  • Network Troubleshooting (13.46%)
  • Network Engineering (68.9%)
  • Virtual Private Networks (VPN) (25.95%)
  • Multiprotocol Label Switching (16.45%)
  • Networking Hardware (21.82%)
  • Complex Networks (10.51%)
  • Network Performance Management (17.89%)
  • Network Planning And Design (16.36%)
  • Network Architecture (17.94%)
  • Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN) (11.74%)
  • Local Area Networks (27.88%)
  • Network Management (8.61%)
  • TCP/IP (18.08%)
  • Routing Protocols (16.78%)
  • Network Protocols (11.56%)
  • Network Switches (36.46%)
  • Network Quality Of Service (QoS) (10.73%)
  • Wide Area Networks (31.73%)
  • Wireless Networks (9.1%)
  • Network Monitoring (12.99%)
  • Open Shortest Path First (OSPF) (25.32%)
  • Network Routing (51.79%)

Necessary Skills

A skill that is requested frequently in this occupation but isn’t specific to it.

  • Amazon Web Services (15.86%)
  • Agile Methodology (6.55%)
  • Automation (20.67%)
  • Telecommunications (11.59%)
  • Change Management (7.35%)
  • Technical Support (8.67%)
  • Systems Engineering (9.08%)
  • Microsoft Azure (17.66%)
  • Linux (12.78%)
  • Python (Programming Language) (18.59%)
  • Cyber Security (8.04%)
  • Computer Networks (14.16%)
  • IT Capacity Management (7.76%)
  • Data Centers (9.15%)
  • Operating Systems (14.35%)
  • Microsoft Visio (7.16%)
  • Scalability (10.87%)
  • Project Management (16.41%)
  • Ansible (10.86%)
  • Information Technology Infrastructure Library (5.5%)
  • Virtualization (7.9%)
  • Scripting (14.23%)

Distinguishing Skills

A skill that may distinguish a subset of the occupation.

  • Cisco Meraki (6.16%)
  • Aruba (Network Management Software) (8.36%)
  • SolarWinds (7.62%)
  • Network Support (5.89%)
  • Fortinet (6.53%)
  • Palo Alto Firewalls (5.87%)
  • VxLAN (Virtual Extensible LAN) (3.83%)
  • Cisco Networking (6.59%)
  • Network Automation (6.97%)
  • Voice Over IP (5.59%)
  • Wireless LAN (5.09%)
  • Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) (4.24%)
  • Spanning Tree Protocols (3.96%)
  • Cisco PIX (4.07%)
  • Cisco IOS (4.9%)
  • Data Transmissions (3.54%)
  • Ethernet (3.03%)
  • Network Address Translation (2.86%)
  • Network Topology (4.07%)
  • Internet Protocols Suite (6.47%)
  • IP Address Management (IPAM) (3.79%)
  • OSI Models (4.11%)
  • Enhanced Interior Gateway Routing Protocols (11.87%)
  • Subnetwork (4.26%)
  • IP Addressing (3.84%)
  • IPv6 (5.69%)
  • Network Layer (5.37%)
  • Hot Standby Router Protocol (3.68%)
  • Network Diagrams (4.17%)
  • IPv4 (3.99%)
  • Load Balancing (8.61%)
  • Network Configuration And Change Management (3.99%)
  • Network Time Protocols (3.86%)
  • Wireshark (5.18%)
  • Software-Defined Networking Wide Area Network (SD-WAN) (9.21%)
  • Simple Network Management Protocols (6.32%)
  • Network Access Control (4.34%)
  • Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) (7.3%)
  • Remote Access Systems (4.61%)
  • Multicasting (4.27%)
  • Packet Analyzer (3.06%)
  • Terminal Access Controller Access-Control System (TACACS) (3.23%)
  • Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) (3.97%)

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.

  • SolarWinds (8.6%)
  • Network Support (6.65%)
  • Network Quality Of Service (QoS) (12.11%)
  • Software Defined Networking (SDN) (9.23%)
  • Spanning Tree Protocols (4.47%)
  • IT Capacity Management (8.76%)
  • Network Analysis (3.74%)
  • Cisco IOS (5.53%)
  • Data Transmissions (3.99%)
  • Network Address Translation (3.22%)
  • IP Addressing (4.34%)
  • IPv6 (6.42%)
  • IP Routing (3.77%)
  • Subnetwork (4.8%)
  • Virtual Private Networks (VPN) (29.29%)
  • Multiprotocol Label Switching (18.57%)
  • OSI Models (4.64%)
  • Local Area Networks (31.46%)
  • Network Layer (6.06%)
  • Network Management (9.72%)
  • Multicasting (4.82%)
  • Network Planning And Design (18.46%)
  • Network Engineering (77.76%)
  • Network Protocols (13.05%)
  • Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN) (13.26%)
  • Wide Area Networks (35.81%)
  • Wireless Networks (10.27%)
  • Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) (8.24%)
  • Load Balancing (9.72%)

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
  • Cisco Network Engineer
  • Network Operations 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.

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 (1341)
  • Allegis Group (1208)
  • Marriott International (1023)
  • Lumen Technologies (1016)
  • Amazon (914)
  • TEKsystems (772)
  • Insight Global (759)
  • Robert Half (659)
  • Beacon Hill Staffing Group (611)
  • The Judge Group (503)

North Carolina

  • Allegis Group (89)
  • Genesis10 (74)
  • TEKsystems (56)
  • Insight Global (46)
  • General Dynamics (35)
  • CACI International (31)
  • Spectrum (30)
  • Motion Recruitment (29)
  • BCforward (29)
  • ASGN (27)

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.