A Network Engineer

[Enterpriser]

This is all I know of this profession,
# of people in profession: 299,308
Average hours per week: 50
Average starting salary: $44,000
Average salary after 5 years: $75,000
Average salary after 10 to 15 years: $120,000

Networks evolved along with teletype in the early 1970s when businesses started to connect to one another with things other than the telephone line. As teletype went back and forth, the first network administrators were responsible for managing the exchange of data between two offices, such as law firms or large financial institutions. Keeping those machines running was more of a systems engineering job, though it was still considered networking. The first wired networks evolved in the late 1970s and early 1980s among very large companies. Most engineers in that era came out of the phone company, which required extensive networking of wires and switches. Then the Internet was born in the early 1990s, and all sorts of people became network engineers. In the near future, networking is going to get more complicated because all the standards are new. Currently, there are so many advancements in hardware that companies are upgrading their networks every six months. “But in the next ten to fifteen years I see network engineering becoming more similar to your basic plumbing job,” says one engineer. “It’s a high paying job that’s pretty well defined and not particularly exciting or glamorous. But how often do you upgrade the plumbing system in your house? Hopefully only when it breaks. And you’re going to see networking get to that level. As more home users have broadband, the network is going to become very static.”

If anyone can shed a bit more light on the profession?

[raross]

http://www.princetonreview.com/cte/p...p?careerID=205

I see you got your facts from there, but if you take the time and read the description it is helpful. However, I do not agree that a network engineer can make 120k after 15 years. I do not see where they got this average from.

I have a few friends who manage as a network engineer for a decent sized corporation and he can barly make enough to survive. He has been in the networking field for quite some time and he only stays in it because he enjoys it. If you find out more about the salary I would be interested to see what others say.

[jaeusm]

I searched Dice.com for network engineering/administration jobs in my area and found a couple postings that actually listed the pay rate (the vast majority don't list anything for pay).

Network Senior Architect - Pay: $70 - $96k+

Network Engineer - Pay: $80 - $110k

Network Administrator (for Kroger) - Pay: $80 - $110k

Network Engineer - Pay: $65k

Citrix Network Administrator - Pay: $40/hr ~ roughly $80k/yr

[raross]

Interesting, still higher then I expected though.

[office politics]

funny i was looking up job desc for computer network engineers today

http://www.exforsys.com/content/view/1534/240 - CNE career track.

[elitesoldier]

**** people, you need to look at the overall picture here. Don't just look at how much the position gets payed. Yea pay is nice but you really need to look at the overall job growth and the annual job openings per year. The pay does not matter if you can't get the job in the first place. It also does not make sense to pursue a position that is in the process of being phased out.

[raross]

Originally posted by elitesoldier
**** people, you need to look at the overall picture here. Don't just look at how much the position gets payed. Yea pay is nice but you really need to look at the overall job growth and the annual job openings per year. The pay does not matter if you can't get the job in the first place. It also does not make sense to pursue a position that is in the process of being phased out.

Uhh? No one is just looking at the money as the guy who started this thread barly said anything about pay. As for this job being completly dismissed in the future, I do not think that will happen. Although I do believe this job will be deskilled even further using sophisticated AI algorithms.

[pjam76]

IF you're saying Network Engineers will be phased out then you might as well not go into the computer field then because most of your programmers, developers and engineers are either being outsourced or H1B visa holders.

There will be jobs just not like they used to be and you will have to be very good at what you do.

It won't be like the dot com era when anybody who went to a 6 month IT course could get an IT job.

It's never going to be like that again. Not in IT.

[jaeusm]

most of your programmers, developers and engineers are either being outsourced or H1B visa holders.

Statistics don't support this, nor does my personal experience. However, this has already been discussed within the past couple months on this forum.

[brady]

Originally posted by raross
I do believe this job will be deskilled even further using sophisticated AI algorithms.

Reading [expletive] like this will make your IQ drop 20 points.