What if the standard advice for becoming a network engineer—get your CCNA, learn the OSI model, configure some routers—is setting you up for a career that’s already being automated away?

Here’s what nobody tells aspiring network engineers: the job you’re preparing for is transforming faster than most certification programs can keep up. According to Gartner, 30% of enterprises will automate more than half of their network activities by 2026. That’s not some distant future—that’s now.

This doesn’t mean network engineering is dying. Far from it. Network engineer jobs are projected to grow 4-7% annually over the next decade, and salaries remain strong at $86,000 to $122,000 for mid-career professionals. But the skills that will get you hired—and keep you employed—look different than they did even three years ago.

Let’s build a roadmap that actually matches where network engineering is heading.

The Network Engineer Reality Check

Before diving into the “how,” you need an honest picture of what you’re signing up for.

What Network Engineers Actually Do

The job varies wildly depending on where you work. At a small company, you might be the IT generalist who happens to handle networking. At an enterprise, you might spend 80% of your time in one narrow specialty.

Common responsibilities include:

  • Design and architecture: Planning network layouts, choosing equipment, capacity planning
  • Implementation: Configuring routers, switches, firewalls, and wireless access points
  • Troubleshooting: Diagnosing connectivity issues, packet analysis, performance optimization
  • Security: Implementing firewalls, VPNs, access controls, and zero-trust architectures
  • Documentation: Network diagrams, runbooks, change management records
  • Automation: Scripting repetitive tasks, infrastructure as code, API integrations

That last one—automation—is increasingly important. The engineer who spends all day SSH-ing into devices and typing commands manually is being replaced by the engineer who writes scripts to do it at scale.

The Salary Reality

Let’s look at what you can actually expect to earn. According to various industry sources, here’s the breakdown:

Experience LevelSalary RangeMedian
Entry-level (0-2 years)$55,000 - $80,000$65,000
Mid-level (3-5 years)$75,000 - $110,000$92,000
Senior (6-10 years)$100,000 - $140,000$118,000
Principal/Architect (10+ years)$130,000 - $180,000+$155,000

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Location matters significantly. Network engineers in San Francisco or New York can expect 20-30% higher than these numbers. Those in the Midwest or South might see 10-15% lower. Remote network engineering roles tend to pay somewhere in between.

Worth noting: network engineers who add cloud or security specializations often hit the higher end of these ranges. The engineer who can configure AWS VPCs and implement zero-trust architecture is more valuable than the one who only knows on-premise Cisco gear.

Who This Career Fits (And Who It Doesn’t)

Network engineering rewards certain personality types more than others:

You’ll probably thrive if you:

  • Enjoy solving puzzles with incomplete information
  • Can handle being on-call and troubleshooting at 2 AM
  • Like understanding how systems connect and communicate
  • Are comfortable with constant learning (technologies shift frequently)
  • Can explain technical concepts to non-technical people

Think twice if you:

  • Need constant variety and change in your daily work
  • Hate documentation and process
  • Want a strict 9-to-5 schedule with no after-hours interruptions
  • Prefer working alone without collaborating with other teams
  • Get frustrated when things break unpredictably

This isn’t gatekeeping—it’s saving you from discovering the mismatch three years into your career. The help desk professional who loves direct user interaction might find network engineering isolating. The developer who thrives on building new features might find network maintenance tedious.

If you’re coming from help desk or IT support, network engineering is a natural next step—you’ve already dealt with connectivity issues and understand the user impact when networks fail.

Phase 1: Build Your Foundation (Months 1-4)

Skip the “start with CCNA” advice for now. You need context before certification makes sense.

Learn How Networks Actually Work

Before touching a certification textbook, build an intuitive understanding of networking concepts. You need to know why things work, not just memorize commands.

Focus on these fundamentals:

  • The TCP/IP model: More practical than the OSI model for actual troubleshooting
  • IP addressing and subnetting: You’ll use this daily—get comfortable with CIDR notation
  • DNS and DHCP: The invisible infrastructure that makes everything work
  • Routing basics: How packets find their way across networks
  • Switching fundamentals: VLANs, STP, and why loops are dangerous
  • Wireless networking: 802.11 standards, channels, security

Free resources that actually work:

If you want hands-on practice with Linux fundamentals (which you’ll need for network automation later), Shell Samurai offers interactive command-line exercises that build real muscle memory.

Set Up a Home Lab

Theory only gets you so far. You need to break things to understand how they work.

Virtual lab options (free or cheap):

Physical lab (optional but valuable): Used enterprise equipment is dirt cheap. You can build a functional lab with 2-3 Cisco routers and switches for under $200 on eBay. Just make sure to get equipment that runs IOSv 15 or later.

Lab projects that teach fundamentals:

  1. Build a multi-VLAN network with routing between VLANs
  2. Configure DHCP and DNS servers
  3. Set up site-to-site VPN between two routers
  4. Implement basic firewall rules
  5. Break things intentionally and practice troubleshooting

Document everything in your lab. This becomes portfolio material later—listing home labs on your resume demonstrates initiative that sets you apart from other entry-level candidates.

Start Learning Linux

Here’s where most network engineer roadmaps fail you: they skip Linux entirely or mention it as an afterthought.

In 2026, you cannot be an effective network engineer without Linux proficiency. Here’s why:

  • Network automation tools run on Linux
  • Most network devices use Linux-based operating systems under the hood
  • Cloud networking (AWS, Azure, GCP) assumes Linux command-line fluency
  • Troubleshooting tools like tcpdump, wireshark (command-line), and iperf run best on Linux

Start with Linux basics:

  • File system navigation and permissions
  • User and process management
  • Package management (apt, yum)
  • Basic shell scripting
  • SSH and remote management

You don’t need to become a Linux system administrator, but you should be comfortable living in a terminal. Shell Samurai is designed exactly for this—building command-line fluency through practical challenges rather than dry tutorials.

Phase 2: Get Certified Strategically (Months 4-8)

Now that you have context, certifications make more sense. You’ll actually understand what you’re learning instead of memorizing commands you’ve never used.

The Certification Decision: CCNA vs. Network+ vs. Both

When it comes to IT certifications, two main paths exist for entry-level networking:

CompTIA Network+

  • Vendor-neutral, covers broad networking concepts
  • Easier than CCNA, good confidence builder
  • Recognized across the industry
  • Cost: ~$350 exam fee
  • Best for: Those unsure about specializing in Cisco environments

Cisco CCNA

  • Cisco-specific but widely applicable
  • More challenging, more respected
  • Opens doors specifically at Cisco shops and enterprises
  • Cost: ~$330 exam fee (plus study materials)
  • Best for: Those targeting enterprise network roles

The honest advice: CCNA is worth it for most aspiring network engineers. It carries more weight in hiring, and the concepts transfer even to non-Cisco environments. However, if you’re completely new to IT, Network+ as a stepping stone isn’t a bad strategy.

Don’t try to rush through certifications. Taking 3-4 months to properly prepare for CCNA beats failing it twice and spending more time and money.

Study resources that work:

  • CBT Nuggets - engaging video courses
  • Boson ExSim - practice exams that closely match the real thing
  • Official Cisco Press books - dry but comprehensive
  • r/ccna subreddit - study tips, resources, and support

Cloud Certifications: The Accelerator

Here’s an unconventional take: consider pursuing a cloud networking certification alongside or shortly after your CCNA.

Cloud networking is exploding—job postings have grown over 41% in the past two years. Network engineers who understand both traditional and cloud infrastructure are significantly more marketable.

Options to consider:

  • AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate: Includes substantial networking content
  • AWS Certified Advanced Networking - Specialty: Network-focused, but requires more experience
  • Microsoft Azure Network Engineer Associate: Growing in demand
  • Google Cloud Professional Cloud Network Engineer: Less common but valuable at Google shops

You don’t need all of these. One cloud certification combined with CCNA positions you well above the average network engineer candidate.

For background on choosing your cloud platform, AWS remains the market leader but Azure is catching up in enterprise environments.

Phase 3: Develop Modern Skills (Months 8-12)

This is where you differentiate yourself from everyone else holding a CCNA.

Network Automation: The Non-Optional Skill

Manual network configuration is becoming a legacy skill. Network automation is the future—if you can’t automate, you’ll be competing for a shrinking pool of traditional roles.

Python for networking - Start here. Python has become the de facto language for network automation because:

  • Rich library ecosystem (Netmiko, Paramiko, NAPALM)
  • Readable syntax that’s easy to learn
  • Cisco, Juniper, and other vendors provide Python APIs
  • Ansible and other automation tools use Python

What to learn:

  1. Python fundamentals (variables, loops, functions, data structures)
  2. Working with APIs and REST calls
  3. Netmiko for automating SSH connections to network devices
  4. Parsing and manipulating configuration files
  5. Basic error handling and logging

Resources:

  • Kirk Byers’ Python for Network Engineers course - the gold standard
  • Codecademy or freeCodeCamp for Python basics
  • Network to Code blog - practical examples

Bash scripting is also useful, particularly for quick scripts and Linux system automation. But Python should be your primary focus for network-specific work.

Infrastructure as Code

Beyond scripting individual devices, learn to manage infrastructure at scale:

Ansible - The most common tool for network automation

  • Agentless (doesn’t require software on managed devices)
  • YAML-based playbooks that are relatively easy to read
  • Extensive modules for Cisco, Juniper, Arista, and more
  • Integrates with existing CI/CD pipelines

Terraform - For cloud infrastructure provisioning

  • Declarative language for defining infrastructure
  • Multi-cloud support (AWS, Azure, GCP)
  • State management and drift detection
  • Essential if you’re touching cloud networking

Start with Ansible for on-premise network automation, then learn Terraform when you move into cloud work. Trying to learn both simultaneously usually means learning neither well.

Software-Defined Networking

Traditional networking separates the control plane (decision-making) and data plane (packet forwarding), but they’re both handled on each individual device. SDN centralizes the control plane, letting you manage the entire network from a single controller.

Why it matters: SDN and automation are reshaping network engineering. Engineers who only know traditional CLI-based configuration will find themselves increasingly limited in job opportunities.

SDN concepts to understand:

  • Controller architecture (OpenDaylight, Cisco ACI, VMware NSX)
  • Intent-based networking - describing what you want, not how to achieve it
  • Network APIs - programmable interfaces for network management
  • SD-WAN - software-defined wide area networking, huge in enterprise

You don’t need to be an SDN expert at entry level, but understanding the concepts and having hands-on experience with at least one platform helps significantly.

Phase 4: Get the Job (Months 10-14)

Skills without a job offer don’t pay rent. Here’s how to actually land that network engineer role.

Target the Right Entry Points

Most “entry-level network engineer” job postings want 2-3 years of experience. That’s frustrating but workable. Here’s where to focus:

Realistic first roles:

  • NOC (Network Operations Center) Analyst - Monitor networks, handle basic troubleshooting
  • Help Desk with networking focus - Many IT support roles include network responsibilities
  • Junior Systems Administrator - Often includes network duties
  • MSP (Managed Service Provider) Technician - Exposure to many different environments
  • Network Technician - Entry-level network-specific role

These positions might not have “Network Engineer” in the title, but they build relevant experience. Someone with 18 months as a NOC analyst plus CCNA is a stronger candidate for network engineer roles than someone with only certifications and no professional experience.

If you’re currently in entry-level IT, look for opportunities to get involved with networking tasks. Volunteer to help with infrastructure projects, shadow the network team, or propose automating something networking-related.

Build a Portfolio That Stands Out

You’re competing against candidates who all have the same certifications. Differentiation comes from demonstrable skills:

GitHub repository with:

  • Network automation scripts you’ve written
  • Ansible playbooks for common tasks
  • Documentation of home lab projects
  • Any tools or utilities you’ve built

Blog or technical writing showing:

  • Troubleshooting processes and solutions
  • Lab setup guides
  • Explanations of complex concepts

Hands-on demonstrations:

  • Video walkthrough of your home lab
  • Live troubleshooting sessions
  • Configuration examples with explanations

This portfolio doesn’t need to be extensive—three or four well-documented projects demonstrate more than a GitHub full of abandoned repositories.

Resume and Interview Optimization

Your resume needs to emphasize results, not just responsibilities. Hiring managers see hundreds of resumes listing “configured routers and switches”—that doesn’t tell them anything useful.

Instead of: “Configured network switches” Write: “Configured VLANs and inter-VLAN routing for 50-user office, reducing broadcast traffic by 40%”

Instead of: “Troubleshot network issues” Write: “Reduced mean time to resolution for network incidents from 4 hours to 45 minutes by implementing systematic diagnostic procedures”

For interviews, expect technical questions on:

  • Subnetting and IP addressing (they will ask you to calculate)
  • Troubleshooting scenarios (packet loss, slow performance, connectivity issues)
  • Protocol details (TCP vs UDP, how DHCP works, DNS resolution)
  • Security concepts (firewalls, VPNs, ACLs)
  • Your home lab and automation projects

Practice explaining complex technical concepts clearly. The ability to communicate effectively separates good candidates from great ones.

The Network Engineer Career Trajectory

Let’s zoom out and look at where this career path leads.

Natural Progressions

After a few years as a network engineer, common advancement paths include:

Senior Network Engineer (3-5 years experience)

  • Handles complex implementations and architecture decisions
  • Mentors junior staff
  • Leads projects and change management
  • Salary range: $100,000 - $140,000

Network Architect (7-10+ years experience)

  • Designs network infrastructure from scratch
  • Makes technology selection decisions
  • Influences business strategy around infrastructure
  • Salary range: $140,000 - $200,000+

Specialization tracks:

  • Security → Network Security Engineer → Security Architect
  • Cloud → Cloud Network Engineer → Cloud Solutions Architect
  • Automation → Network Automation Engineer → DevOps/Platform Engineering
  • Management → Network Team Lead → IT Manager → Director of Infrastructure

The IT management path is an option, but it moves you away from hands-on technical work. Some engineers love that; others find it soul-crushing. Know yourself before pursuing management.

The Convergence Trend

Traditional silos are breaking down. Network engineers increasingly need to understand:

  • Security: Zero-trust architectures, network security monitoring
  • Cloud: AWS/Azure networking, hybrid environments
  • DevOps: CI/CD, infrastructure as code, SRE practices
  • Development: APIs, microservices, container networking

This convergence isn’t a threat—it’s an opportunity. The network engineer who can bridge multiple domains is extraordinarily valuable. The one who refuses to learn beyond traditional networking will find their options shrinking.

Technical skills in demand are increasingly cross-functional. Plan your learning accordingly.

What Makes Network Engineering Different in 2026

Let’s address the elephant in the room: is network engineering even a good career choice given automation and cloud trends?

The AI and Automation Question

Some fear that AI will replace network engineers. Here’s the nuanced reality:

What’s being automated away:

  • Manual CLI configuration
  • Simple, repetitive troubleshooting
  • Basic monitoring and alerting
  • Standard provisioning tasks

What’s NOT being automated:

  • Complex troubleshooting with incomplete information
  • Architecture and design decisions
  • Business-context networking (understanding what the organization needs)
  • Security incident response
  • Integration between disparate systems
  • Teaching AI systems what “normal” looks like

The network engineer of 2026 is less “person who types commands into routers” and more “person who designs networks, automates their management, and solves problems automation can’t handle.”

This is actually great news if you’re entering the field now. You’re learning modern skills from the start rather than having to unlearn outdated approaches.

The Cloud Shift

On-premise networking isn’t disappearing, but cloud networking is growing faster. Many new network engineer roles focus partially or entirely on cloud infrastructure.

This creates opportunity: cloud engineer career paths and network engineering are increasingly overlapping. Skills in both areas make you valuable to organizations managing hybrid environments—which is most organizations.

The Security Imperative

Network security used to be a separate specialty. Now it’s inseparable from networking itself. Cybersecurity career demand affects network engineers directly because they’re expected to implement security controls, understand threat landscapes, and respond to incidents.

Network engineers who understand security earn more and have more job options. Consider this a required part of your skill development, not an optional add-on.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

After seeing hundreds of aspiring network engineers, certain patterns emerge in those who struggle:

Certification Hoarding

Some people collect certifications like Pokemon cards—CCNA, Network+, Security+, AWS, Azure—without ever actually working in networking. Employers see through this. Five certifications with zero work experience suggests someone who studies well but might not perform in real environments.

Better approach: Get one or two strategic certifications, then focus on getting actual work experience. You can add more certifications later as needed for specific career goals.

Ignoring Soft Skills

The stereotype of the antisocial network engineer exists for a reason, but it’s increasingly a liability. You’ll work with:

  • Help desk staff escalating tickets
  • Developers needing network access
  • Security teams investigating incidents
  • Management requiring explanations in plain English
  • Vendors pushing products you need to evaluate

Communication skills matter more than many technical skills for career advancement. The senior network engineer who can’t explain issues to non-technical stakeholders hits a ceiling quickly.

Refusing to Automate

“I didn’t get into networking to become a programmer” is something you’ll hear from engineers being pushed out of the field. The refusal to learn automation is career suicide in 2026.

You don’t need to be a software developer. But you do need to write scripts, use automation tools, and think programmatically about network management. Resisting this is choosing obsolescence.

Staying Too Narrow

Specialization has value, but over-specialization creates fragility. The engineer who only knows Cisco products struggles when their company adopts Juniper. The one who only knows on-premise networking gets passed over for hybrid cloud roles.

Build T-shaped skills: deep expertise in one area, but functional knowledge across the broader infrastructure landscape.

Your First 90 Days: An Action Plan

Let’s get concrete. Here’s exactly what to do if you’re starting from scratch:

Week 1-4: Fundamentals

  • Complete Professor Messer’s Network+ videos (free)
  • Set up a basic home lab with GNS3 or Packet Tracer
  • Install Linux (Ubuntu) and work through basic command-line tutorials
  • Start documenting everything in a GitHub repo

Week 5-8: Deeper Learning

  • Build increasingly complex lab topologies
  • Practice subnetting until it’s automatic
  • Begin CCNA study (choose your preferred resource)
  • Continue Linux practice with Shell Samurai

Week 9-12: Applied Skills

  • Complete first lab project end-to-end (document thoroughly)
  • Begin Python basics for networking
  • Start Ansible fundamentals
  • Join networking communities (Reddit, Discord, local meetups)

Week 13-16: Certification Push

  • Intensive CCNA preparation
  • Take practice exams (Boson or similar)
  • Continue automation learning alongside cert prep
  • Begin job searching for entry-level positions

Week 17+: Job Hunt + Continuous Learning

  • Apply to NOC, help desk with networking, and junior sysadmin roles
  • Schedule CCNA exam when consistently passing practice tests
  • Expand automation skills
  • Build portfolio projects

Adjust timelines based on your current experience level. Someone with existing IT support experience might move faster; someone completely new to IT might need longer in the fundamentals phase.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I become a network engineer without a degree?

Yes. Most network engineering positions value certifications and experience over formal education. That said, some large enterprises and government contractors still require degrees for certain positions. A degree helps but isn’t strictly necessary.

How long does it take to become a network engineer?

From complete beginner to employed network engineer typically takes 12-24 months. This includes learning fundamentals (3-4 months), getting certified (3-4 months), building additional skills (3-4 months), and job searching (2-4 months). Prior IT experience accelerates this significantly.

Is CCNA enough to get a network engineer job?

CCNA alone is rarely sufficient for network engineer roles, but it’s a strong foundation. Most employers want to see CCNA plus either relevant work experience (help desk, NOC, etc.) or demonstrable practical skills (home lab, automation projects). CCNA plus a portfolio beats CCNA alone every time.

What’s the difference between a network engineer and a systems administrator?

Network engineers focus on infrastructure that connects systems—routers, switches, firewalls, wireless, and WANs. Systems administrators manage the systems themselves—servers, operating systems, applications, and user accounts. In practice, especially at smaller organizations, these roles often overlap significantly.

Should I specialize in cloud or traditional networking?

Both. The trend is toward hybrid environments where cloud and on-premise networking coexist. Starting with traditional networking fundamentals makes sense, but add cloud skills within your first year or two. Engineers who understand both are significantly more valuable than those who only know one.

The Real Path Forward

Becoming a network engineer in 2026 isn’t about following the same roadmap people used in 2010. The fundamentals still matter—TCP/IP, subnetting, routing protocols—but they’re table stakes, not differentiators.

What separates successful network engineers today:

  • Automation skills that multiply your effectiveness
  • Cloud fluency to work in hybrid environments
  • Security awareness integrated into everything you do
  • Business context that connects technical decisions to organizational needs
  • Communication skills that make you valuable beyond just technical execution

The IT specialization paths available to network engineers are expanding, not contracting. Network engineering is becoming more integrated with cloud, security, and development—which means more career options, not fewer.

Start with solid fundamentals. Add modern skills early. Build things that demonstrate your capabilities. And keep learning, because the field will continue evolving faster than any certification program can keep up.

The network engineers who thrive in 2026 and beyond aren’t the ones who memorized the most Cisco commands. They’re the ones who learned to think about networks as systems to be programmed, optimized, and secured—not just configured.

You’re entering the field at the right time to build those skills from the start.