What is a Network Engineer?

The Short Answer:

  • Network Engineers (NEs) are responsible for data communication network design, installation, maintenance and troubleshooting. These data networks interconnect computers at all scales between offices, floors, buildings, campuses, cities, states, countries and even planets. How do you think we got those pictures and science data from Mars, the Moon, Jupiter and beyond? These data networks are composed of a large variety of networking devices (switches, routers, firewalls, load balancers, WAN accelerators, VPN servers, and more) connected by a variety of data circuits (copper & fiber landlines, cellular, microwave, laser, WiFi, satellite and more). Network Engineers orchestrate all of these devices and connections so users can connect their laptops, tablets and smartphones to servers & services without a second thought.
  • A Network Engineer's workday is filled with challenges to solve. Depending on experience and expertise, a NE may be troubleshooting network outages, maintaining & upgrading the network, monitoring & analyzing performance, designing the next expansion, or planning the next generation network. Good NEs must be adept communicators, problem-solvers, lifelong learners, flexible, logical, detail oriented, calm and deliberate, decisive and leaders.
  • What makes a good Network Engineer? It's pretty subjective, but the general traits of good NEs include
    • Problem solver - network issues take all kinds of forms: individual applications performing badly, outages at any level, business growth requiring a bigger network, business efficiency requiring a lower-cost network, and the challenges go on and on.
    • Determined Perseverance - most of the time, problems take a long time to resolve; NEs may need to test several solutions before finding a permanent fix.
    • Calm under pressure (a.k.a cool under fire) - when a network connection goes down and the help desk phone rings off the hook, there're always users facing the apocalypse unless the network is restored in 15 minutes. Good NEs (like bomb-squad technicians) know how to roll up their sleeves, acknowledge the histrionics and just focus on the problem until it's fixed.
    • Organized and Detail oriented - Enterprise class networks have a huge number of moving parts, each needing configurations that must orchestrated with each other... and the NE must know them all.
    • Tactical worker - if there's a network outage, NEs work to restore network services ASAP. If there's a fix that's ugly, but sufficiently restores service faster than any other option, then a good NE will use the ugly fix to stabilize the network.
    • Strategic thinker - after the dust settles, good NEs then think about how to redesign to prevent this type of outage from ever recurring again
    • Abstract thinker - all network components look the same - metal rectangular boxes with blinking lights and cables coming out of every opening and yet each component does something totally different. Switches, routers, firewalls, load-balancers, vpn concentrators and more server types than you can imagine all look alike but the NE can see it all in his head as distinct and unique objects which he needs to manage.
    • Professional work ethic - good NEs are responsible, dependable, flexible and run towards problems to help. They are good listeners to understand issues, rational thinkers to find solutions, and excellent communicators to build consensus and support.
    • Team Player - it's possible to be a smart NE that can solve complex problems all on their own, and yet be difficult, even impossible to work with in a team. Such lone-wolf NEs have their roles to play, but a good NE knows how to simultaneously lead their teams and be part of others. Good NEs know how to work with team members to add each person's strengths and insights and build a collective solution that's usually better than any individual contributor.
  • What makes a GREAT Network Engineer?
    • Soft skills, soft skills...and soft skills -
    • Business tools
    • Communications tools
    • Presentation skills
    • Business Processes & Workflows
    • Leadership skills
    • Business sense
    • Project management
    • Team Roles
    • Customer Relationship management (setting expectations)
  • What's the difference between junior Network Engineers and senior Network Engineers? Senior NEs usually collaborate with their peer seniors to design network solutions, then lead teams of junior NEs to implement the solutions. It mostly comes down to breadth of experience and ability to work independently. Junior NEs tend to have expertise in fewer areas, and need more supervision oversight by a senior engineer. Conversely, senior NEs have already spent time expanding to broader and deeper fields of expertise, and are trusted to get their assignments done.
  • What's the network engineer's earning power? Speaking VERY broadly, good NEs usually earn above average, middle-class salaries which vary widely; honestly (and naturally), specific answers depend on their skills, work location, job titles, and the economic forces of supply & demand. Please see the following long version answer, plug in your location and check actual job postings and salary information in your area.

The Long Answer: