Network Engineer Career Path

Are you thinking of becoming a network engineer or already started your career and planning the next step? Learn how to become a network engineer, what skills you need to succeed, how to advance your career and get promoted, and what levels of pay to expect at each step on your career path. Explore new network engineer job openings and options for career transitions into related roles.

Seniority Levels

L2

Network Engineer

Alias: Network Engineer II, Assistant Network Engineer...(3)
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2 - 4Years of Experience
$72,362Avg. Annual Salary
No Jobs Available
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56% advanced to

L3

Senior Network Engineer

Alias: Mid-level Network Engineer, Network Engineer III
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2 - 4Years of Experience
$93,662Avg. Annual Salary
No Jobs Available
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L4

Lead Network Engineer

Alias: Staff Network Engineer, Network Engineer IV...(3)
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5 - 7Years of Experience
$98,239Avg. Annual Salary
No Jobs Available
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Salary Trajectory

Network Engineer Career Path

$160K
$135K
$110K
$85K
$60K
L2
L4
L6
Seniority Levels
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Important Skill Sets for the Network Engineer Career Path

Routing Protocols
IPSEC VPN
Configuration
Operating Systems

Network Engineer Career Transitions

Your skills as a network engineer can prepare you to transition into related roles, such as network administrator or systems administrator, which could open up different career paths for you. Below are the most common network engineer career transitions, along with typical salaries and skill requirements.

Network Administrator
17% made the transition
2 - 4Years of Experience
$63,043Avg. Annual Salary
No Jobs Available
2/8Skills Shared
Systems Administrator
57% made the transition
2 - 4Years of Experience
$64,892Avg. Annual Salary
No Jobs Available
2/8Skills Shared
Systems Engineer
33% made the transition
2 - 4Years of Experience
$77,768Avg. Annual Salary
No Jobs Available
1/8Skills Shared
Software Engineer
26% made the transition
2 - 4Years of Experience
$92,046Avg. Annual Salary
No Jobs Available
No Skills Shared