Network engineer
Network engineers are responsible for installing, maintaining and supporting computer communication networks within an organisation or between organisations. Their goal is to ensure the smooth operation of communication networks in order to provide maximum performance and availability for their users, such as staff, clients, customers and suppliers.
Network engineers may work internally as part of an organisation’s IT support team or externally as part of an IT networking consultancy firm working with a number of clients.
Other job titles used to refer to this kind of work include network support, support engineer, IT support engineer, helpdesk support, network administrator, first-line support, second-line support, security engineer and network architect.
The work is influenced by the size and type of the employing organisation. In a large investment bank for example, a network engineer may have specific responsibility for one area of the system. In a small company, the engineer may be troubleshooter for almost any IT-related problem that arises.
There are different types of network, such as:
The type of network will affect the engineer's responsibilities.
Typical work activities usually include:
Posts entitled 'technical support' usually include responsibility for other IT equipment, such as printers and scanners.
Salary data from IT Jobs Watch . Figures are intended as a guide only.
Although this area of work is open to all graduates, a degree in the following subjects is likely to increase your chances:
Entry with an HND is possible. A diploma in computer studies/computer science, electrical/electronic engineering and software engineering would be most helpful in securing a role.
Relevant work experience is beneficial, including experience gained through vacation work and summer placements, and being on the user end of IT systems is useful too as it gives you an idea of the types of problem that arise. Experience of team-working is also important.
Candidates will need to show evidence of the following:
Large companies, such as retailers and banks, regularly recruit graduates directly into their IT departments, and some smaller businesses are also willing to consider people straight from degree courses.
Tough competition for network engineer spots means employers have their pick of candidates. Entry requirements typically include a Bachelors degree, certifications and perhaps several years' experience working on a help desk or as a system administrator.
For more information, see work experience and internships and search courses and research.
Many colleges and private training organisations participate in the Cisco Networking Academy programme, which provides certification at several levels for students and network professionals.
Whatever knowledge you already have when you enter this field you can be sure that, in this rapidly changing industry with its many and frequent advances, you will need to make training a constant part of your career development. Large companies may send you on appropriate training courses and will provide training as they introduce new systems or expand their IT facilities. But you will often find you need to seek out appropriate training for yourself, especially if you are seeking promotion or a career move.
Relevant qualifications include:
Courses may be expensive and you may have to pay the fees yourself, so make sure they are relevant by checking they cover the topics most frequently mentioned in job vacancies.
e-skills UK - The Sector Skills Council for Business and Information Technology has created the National Skills Academy for IT in conjunction with employers. It aims to help subscribers who are interested in, (or already working in), IT to identify suitable courses, qualifications and apprenticeships. There are courses, mentors, eBooks and more available online.
Your career path will depend to a certain extent on the size of the organisation you work for and the scope of its IT systems. Having gained experience, network engineers can progress to network management positions or, with additional training, transfer into other IT roles, such as project management.
Those who start as help-desk technicians can sometimes progress to network engineer posts, then on to senior network support and finally network controller (mainly involved in decision-making, staff management and advice on future strategy). This may be a typical career ladder in an organisation such as a large bank or a major government department. If you work for a small company, you may be the network controller from day one and also have many other IT and technical-support-related responsibilities.
Network engineering and network support roles tend to move you away from programming, so if this is something you enjoy and want to keep up, you need to be aware of this before you commit yourself to a systems support roles.
Some network engineers choose to broaden their careers into other IT, customer-related or management functions. Customer relationship management is a possibility, especially if you enjoy the 'people' side of the work and are also interested in the overall development of the business.
A common career option is consultancy work as a network analyst, either with an IT consultancy firm or on a self-employed basis. If you work for a small consultancy, you may become involved in all aspects of sales, technical advice, network engineering and customer relations, or you may choose to work freelance.
There are also some opportunities to teach or train, although this may only provide part-time work, such as teaching evening courses.
Network engineers can find work in any organisation with large, sophisticated IT systems. Examples of typical employers are banks, building societies, retail groups, large government departments, schools, hospitals, utility companies, local authorities, transport providers and management consultancies. Some organisations, including many local authorities and other public-sector bodies, now outsource all their IT systems to specialists, so these specialist companies often have vacancies for people with networking skills.
Network engineers can be employed by a large IT company to manage the firm's own systems or work in their contract services. Large companies such as Microsoft provide an extensive range of installation and customer-support services and they recruit graduates and experienced staff into all areas of IT support.
There are also many small consultancies that work by setting up and managing systems for organisations that are too small to warrant full-time IT support.
There are many recruitment agencies specialising in IT careers. These are usually more useful once you have built up some solid work experience. Visit the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) website to search for agencies by type of vacancy and location.
While large companies usually have a structured graduate recruitment procedure, you should approach small businesses and IT consultancies on a speculative basis, ensuring your CV stresses your personal as well as technical abilities. With more emphasis being placed on experience, recruiters increasingly demand evidence from candidates of skills developed through project work and placements.
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