Salary and Earnings for a network engineer

The salary and earnings of a network engineer varies according to the industry that they work in, the years of experience that they gain, the kind of employer that they work for or the city that they work in amongst other reasons.

The average annual salary of a network engineer between the twenty fifth and seventy fifth percentile falls between the range of $ 39,817 and $ 93,552 which is inclusive of bonus and profit sharing.

Below are given some of the variables that affect the annual salary of a network engineer.

• Years of Experience

• Experience of less than one year the salary range is between $ 31,276 and $ 75,796 and an hour wage range is between $ 9.79 and 25.64.
• Experience between one to four years the salary range is between $ 36,303 and $ 72,171 and the hourly wage range is between $ 12.00 and $ 30.68.
• Experience between five to nine years the salary range is between $ 43,235 and $ 85,941 and an hourly wage range is between $ 17.45 and $ 41.73.
• Experience between ten to nineteen years the salary range is between $ 50,140 and $ 99,932 and an hourly wage range is between $ 21.00 and 48.15.
• Experience of more than twenty years the salary range is between $ 53,237 and $ 117,676 and an hourly wage range is between $ 20.43 and $ 161.49.

• Industry

• A network engineer working in healthcare gets an annual salary range between $ 46,666 and $ 89,485 and an hourly wage range between $ 11.61 and $ 40.97.
• A network engineer working in information technology (IT) services gets an annual salary range between $ 39,411 and $ 86,632 and an hourly wage range between $ 15.31 and $ 38.00.
• A network engineer working in network and communications services gets an annual salary range between $ 36,942 and $ 93,249 and an hourly wage range between $ 9.93 and $ 35.57.
• A network engineer working in telecommunication gets an annual salary range between $ 44,415 and $ 95,976 and an hourly wage range between $ 16.67 and $ 42.61.
• A network engineer working in IT consulting gets an annual salary range between $ 37,195 and $ 88,811 and an hourly wage range between $ 12.19 and $ 49.32.
• A network engineer working in financial services gets an annual salary range between $ 48,277 and $ 102,950.
• A network engineer working in internet service provider (ISP) gets an annual salary range between $ 35,234 and $ 82,278 and an hourly wage range between $ 14.30 and $ 35.56.

• Employer Type

• A network engineer working for a company gets an annual salary range between $ 40,304 and $ 91,076 and an hourly wage rate between $ 13.85 and $ 39.34.
• A network engineer working for a private practice or firm gets an annual salary range between $ 42,723 and $ 92,065 and an hourly wage rate between $ 24.24 and $ 30.25.
• A network engineer working for a government – federal gets an annual salary range between $ 47,173 and $ 91,055 and an hourly wage rate between $ 22.30 and $ 41.22.
• A network engineer working for a government – state and local gets an annual salary range between $ 41,356 and $ 84,637 and an hourly wage rate between $ 13.57 and $ 40.19.
• A network engineer working for a contract gets an annual salary range between $ 48,699 and $ 91,143 and an hourly wage rate between $ 16.51 and $ 47.17.
• A network engineer working for other organization gets an annual salary range between $ 41,791 and $ 91,857 and an hourly wage rate between $ 10.00 and $ 43.68.
• A network engineer working for a hospital gets an annual salary range between $ 47,673 and $ 87,766 and an hourly wage rate between $ 18.72 and $ 40.21.
• A network engineer working for a college or university gets an annual salary range between $ 39,064 and $ 74,948 and an hourly wage rate between $ 14.58 and $ 30.52.
• A network engineer working for a non profit organization gets an annual salary range between $ 35,841 and $ 78,407 and an hourly wage rate between $ 20.90 and $ 36.23.
• A network engineer working for a school or school district gets an annual salary range between $ 38,423 and $ 74,863 and an hourly wage rate between $ 15.26 and $ 31.44.
• A network engineer who is self employed gets an annual salary range between $ 40,223 and $ 91,231 and an hourly wage rate between $ 15.26 and $ 31.44.
• A network engineer working for a team gets an annual salary range between $ 37,500 and $ 53,040.
• A network engineer working for a foundation or trust gets an annual salary range between $ 53,500 and $ 107,000.

• City
  • A network engineer working in New York, New York gets an annual salary range between $ 41,562 and $ 98,116 and an hourly wage rate between $ 10.30 and $ 63.02.
  • A network engineer working in Atlanta, Georgia gets an annual salary range between $ 39,266 and $ 82,968 and an hourly wage rate between $ 17.52 and $ 40.72.
  • A network engineer working in Washington, District of Columbia gets an annual salary range between $ 49,800 and $ 101,957.
  • A network engineer working in Chicago, Illinois gets an annual salary range between $ 43,304 and $ 81,265 and an hourly wage rate between $ 11.23 and $ 48.94.
  • A network engineer working in Denver, Colorado gets an annual salary range between $ 46,784 and $ 98,095 and an hourly wage rate between $ 20.73 and $ 34.71.
  • A network engineer working in San Jose, California gets an annual salary range between $ 59,512 and $ 110,004.
  • A network engineer working in Dallas, Texas gets an annual salary range between $ 39,453 and $ 103,114.
  • A network engineer working in Los Angeles, California gets an hourly wage rate between $ 11.15 and $ 41.43.
  • A network engineer working in San Diego, California gets an hourly wage rate between $ 10.14 and $ 35.51.

Certification and Licensure for network engineers

A certificate is not necessary to enter as a network engineer but if the person wants to advance in their career then these certificates and credentials become very useful.

• There is no license requirement to work as a network engineer.
• To increase their chances of landing a good job network engineers can obtain certification courses run by computer associations, product vendor and training institutes.
• Certificates such as current CCNA (Cisco Certified Network Associate), CCNP (Cisco Certified Network Professional), MCSE (Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer), CCIE (Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert) or CNE (Certified Novell Engineer) are looked upon favourably by employers.

Educational background for the job of a network engineer

There has to be formal education for network engineers but this field keeps on constantly changing and hence the network engineer has to continue with his education all through their working life, keeping in touch with all the new innovations and gadgets.

• A bachelor’s degree in a computer related field takes four years to complete and could include subjects such as computer science, mathematics, computer programming, computer engineering and statistics.
• These programs also have common subjects such as English and communications.
• Many employers prefer that a computer engineer should have a master’s degree in business administration with an in depth teaching of information systems.
• It takes two years after an undergraduate degree to complete an MBA program and could have common subjects of business such as management, finance, accounting and marketing along with data base management, systems management, electronic business and design.
• Along with the formal education years of relevant work experience are also a requirement to become a network engineer.

Duties and Responsibilities for a network engineer

Every network engineer that works on systems may have different duties and responsibilities as per systems they use for networking, the setting of their work area, the type of employer for whom they work although, the basic duties and responsibility remains the same.

The main duties and responsibilities of a network engineer are enumerated below.

• Design and install all network and systems hardware and software infrastructure.
• The network services, devices and equipments such as the LAN/Wan need to be installed, configured and maintained by network engineers.
• Helps in the administration of servers and server clusters.
• Identify any network related problems, diagnose and resolve them.
• Keep complete documentation of all the installed and implemented networks.
• Maintain develop and install emergency data retrieval systems and keep a record of the problems faced by computer users and how best these problems were resolved for future reference.
• Must perform the daily maintenance and problem resolutions, keeping appropriate logs, routine hardware configuration and software upgrades.
• Install and perform security measures and control access to the network to prevent unauthorised access to privileged, sensitive and confidential data and information.
• Updating these security measures frequently and changing passwords.
• Must work in shifts with the other network engineers and be on call 24/7.

About Network Engineer

Computers and telecommunication has become the lifeline of businesses and commercial establishments. A person working in the present scenario will not be able to function without a computer or laptop (and nowadays even smaller devices such as a palmtop) which helps him communicate and collate data from various sources and locations. Here the role of a person who is known as a network engineer becomes very important. They help in the efficient transmission, storage and analysis of information. If information is the blood, the networking is the arteries and veins and the server or the hub becomes the heart.

The designers of computer networks are called network engineers. The lay and do the settings, testing and evaluation of systems which includes Local Area Network (LANs), Wide Area Networks (WANs), install intranet as well as intranet, and other data and information communication systems. The establish connection between computers not only within the building but across different locations and even globally distributed networks, e-mails and voice mails systems for multinational organizations. Network engineers work both with hardware and software offering solutions by performing network modelling, planning and analysis. The fix up hardware by way of which the network starts to perform such as the hub, servers, routers, wireless adaptors, cables, etc. and also install software which could include network drivers. They also keep abreast of the current innovations and gadgets in the market and recommend new hardware and software. They also take care of any security risks pertaining to the network and computers.

Skills and Abilities needed for a network engineer

• Network engineers need to have a strong problem solving and analytical mind.
• They should have good communication skills both written and oral to explain the complex situation to a layman who does not understand computer and networking jargon.
• They should have the ability to pay close attention to details and be able to multitask efficiently.
• Most of the time network engineers work independently, but they may be required and must have the ability to work as a team with other computer professionals and managers and be able to communicate with the end users and other staff who may not have a computer background.