Oct. 22, 2023, Post by Curtis
Network Administration is a great career for people who are interested in technology, solving problems, and learning new things. Network Administrators are also in a good position to move into other IT careers.
It's not all good though, as this can be a very demanding and stressful career. No one praises the Network Admin when the network is running, but when it goes down, everyone points the finger at the Network Admin.
Many companies have their own network, segmented from the internet, with restricted access to their internal resources. These are the networks that Network Admins work on. Some of these resources are only for use by employees while some may be accessible to the company's customers. Setting access policies on network hardware that decides who has access to what is what a Network Admin does.
They are responsible for how traffic enters, exits, and flows across the network. They are responsible for "data in motion" as opposed to Systems Administrators who are more typically responsible for "data at rest".
Network Admins typically work with the following systems:
Having experience working as a Network Administrator will be a great advantage if you want to go into a different IT field. All IT fields rely heavily on network functions and they all work closely with the Network Administrators.
If you want to work in Cybersecurity, Cloud, or System Administration, understanding the fundamentals of how traffic flows and systems communicate will help you get a foot in the door. There are many career paths available to people with Network Admin Experience.
Or you can stay in Networking and become a Network Engineer, Network Security, or Network Architect.
According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Network Administration jobs are projected to grow at %3 per year and Network Architect at %4 per year showing that there is a higher demand for people at the higher skill levels. While this is not rapid growth, the need for skilled network professionals will most likely continue to grow for the foreseeable future.
While advances in network hardware and automation reduce the need for Network Admins, the drive to interconnect everything on our planet and ever-increasingly integrate technology into lives will conversely increase the demand for Network Admins.
Companies that have network infrastructure have an absolute need for people who understand how networks work and can solve network problems. There are always many job openings for Network Admins.
Hiring Network Admins is not a luxury, it is a necessity. If you are a skilled Network Admin this puts you in the driver's seat.
According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median pay for a Network Admin is $80,000 per year which is above the national average job wage of $55,000 per year.
Network Administrators at the top of their field can make up to $200,000 per year - with or without a college degree.
Many Network Admins don't have a computer science degree or any degree at all. IT Managers looking to hire Network Admins, and most other information technology fields for that matter, value experience and technical skills over degrees and certificates.
A college degree, as well as IT certificates, are what get your resume to the top of the pile, but being able to communicate your skill set in an interview is what will land you a job.
You can start your Network Administrator career after just a few years of working in an entry-level IT job and getting 1 or 2 certificates like the CCNA (Cisco Certified Network Associate). Read my article about How To Become A Network Administrator.
A big part of what makes a job satisfying is that your work is interesting. Boring work is very dissatisfying.
How networks work and solving network problems is very interesting. Problem-solving is a good way to get 'lost in your work'.
Many Network Admins work 100% remotely although it is more typical that a Network Admin must work more of a hybrid schedule. Networks are built from physical components so someone needs to be able to occasionally go to a location to install or troubleshoot network hardware. There are usually redundant connections to network hardware so that you can still connect if one connection goes down.
Often the on-location work can be done by Help Desk staff or remote hands.
Most Network Admins need to be able to work flexible hours and be on-call. Network problems can happen at any time and need to be resolved as soon as possible. Also, any major changes to the network need to be done while the least amount of people are using it - nights and weekends.
When the network goes down there could be thousands of people waiting on you to figure out what happened and get it back up and running. On top of that, this can happen any time of day, any day of the week.
Problem-solving can be very stressful. Often problems won't make sense and you feel like you've tried everything but nothing is working.
To be a Network Administrator you must enjoy problem-solving, but even if you do, there will be problems that make you want to pull your hair out.
So, is Network Administrator a good career?
Network Administration can be a very rewarding, lucrative, interesting, and engaging career for people who enjoy working with technology. There are many paths to becoming a Network Admin and Network Admins have many paths available to them. The great thing about IT is that you can move around to different jobs as the experience you gain in one field will be of value when trying to enter a different field.
In IT, there are many opportunities for advancement, if you simply work hard and continue to learn new things.