Preparing for a Career as a Network Engineer

A network engineer is an Information Technology (IT) professional who designs, implements, maintains, and troubleshoots computer networks. While the United States is still experiencing relatively high unemployment, the demand for network engineers remains strong. To determine what skills employers are looking for, data was collected and analyzed from 1,199 nationwide job advertisements listed on Dice.com. The requested skills were then grouped into related categories and summarized. The most frequently requested skills were identified and discussed. The authors also collected data regarding the education level and certifications requested. The results can be used to modify networking courses/curricula to better prepare students to obtain positions and be successful as network engineers.

1. NETWORKING FIELD Role of Networks Networking has become a highly technical, widespread, and necessary technology. It is a part of everyday life: we are using it at workplaces, as well as for education, recreation, and entertainment. The basic understanding is that the network and access to it are there, and the default expectation is that “it just works”. National and local governments worldwide – even countries with huge economic problems – realize the necessity and value of connections and invest in local-, metropolitan-, and wide area networks. Networks enable the creation of online learning communities, digital cities, e-government support, virtual organizations, and telecommuting (Tapia et. al., 2011).
2. The Role of a Network Engineer A network engineer is an IT professional that manages, and services the network infrastructure of an organization. The duties and responsibilities include a wide range of different technologies that are integrated into local-, wide-area networks, and Internet access solutions. The engineers deal with the setup and configuration of devices and equipment that make up the functional parts of the network, such as servers, switches, routers, firewalls.