What does a Network Engineer do?

A network engineer owns major decisions around Cisco IOS/NX-OS, Juniper Junos, BGP/OSPF and sets the technical direction for devops & cloud projects. You'll spend your days splitting time between hands-on work, mentoring other team members, and working with stakeholders to figure out what's worth building next. This isn't a role where you just write specs and hand them off. You're expected to stay close to the work.

The people who do well in this role tend to be strong in SD-WAN, Firewall (Palo Alto, Fortinet), Network Automation (Ansible/Python), but more importantly, they know how to figure out what they don't know. DevOps & Cloud moves fast, and the best network engineers are the ones who can adapt without needing someone to hand them a playbook every time something changes.

Right now, network engineer roles pay in the range of $90,000 - $140,000, and most positions are looking for mid-senior level candidates. It's a competitive field, but companies are hiring. If you've got the right skills and can show real project work, you're in a strong position.

How to get there

Build your foundation in network engineer

Before anything else, get solid on the fundamentals. For network engineer roles, that means understanding Cisco IOS/NX-OS and Juniper Junos at a level where you can explain them to someone else. Don't try to learn everything at once. Pick the core topics that show up in every job posting for this role and get genuinely good at them.

Get hands-on with Cisco IOS/NX-OS and Juniper Junos and BGP/OSPF

Reading docs and watching tutorials won't get you hired. You need to actually build things with Cisco IOS/NX-OS and Juniper Junos and BGP/OSPF. Set aside time every week to write code, run experiments, or practice in a real environment. Hiring managers can tell the difference between someone who has used a tool and someone who has just read about it.

Work on real projects

Set up a full CI/CD pipeline for a personal project. Deploy something to the cloud with infrastructure as code, monitoring, and automated rollbacks. The goal is to have something concrete you can talk about in interviews. "I built X, it does Y, and here's what I learned" is worth more than any course certificate.

Get certified in CCNP Enterprise

For network engineer roles, certifications like CCNP Enterprise actually carry weight with hiring managers. They won't get you the job on their own, but they signal that you've put in structured effort. If you're choosing between certifications, pick the one you see mentioned most in job postings for roles you want.

Target your first network engineer role

Most network engineer positions are mid-senior level and pay around $90,000 - $140,000. When you're applying, tailor your resume for each job. Use the exact skills and keywords from the posting. Don't be picky about company size or brand name early on. A role where you'll learn fast is more valuable than a prestigious name on your resume.

Grow from here

Once you've got a couple years as a network engineer, you'll have options. Roles like Cloud Solutions Architect, AWS Solutions Architect, Cloud Consultant are natural next steps in devops & cloud. The key is to keep building depth in your specialty while picking up broader skills like leadership, architecture, and cross-team collaboration. Your career path isn't a straight line, but this gives you a strong starting point.

Skills you'll need

These are the skills that show up most often in network engineer job postings. You don't need all of them on day one, but you should be working toward them.

Cisco IOS/NX-OSJuniper JunosBGP/OSPFSD-WANFirewall (Palo Alto, Fortinet)Network Automation (Ansible/Python)DNS/DHCPVPN/IPSecWiresharkCloud Networking (AWS VPC)

Certifications that help

These won't get you hired on their own, but they show hiring managers you've put in real study time. Worth it if you're switching careers or don't have much experience yet.

CCNP Enterprise

Juniper JNCIS-ENT

Palo Alto PCNSA