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Network Engineer

The Work

Network engineers, sometimes known as network administrators, design, install and maintain computer communication systems within an organisation or between organisations. These systems allow workers to share files and resources, access the internet and email, and collect and process data.

Network engineers deal with four systems:

  • local area networks (LANs) - connecting workstations within an office, building or limited area
  • metropolitan area networks (MANs) - linking networks citywide or across a region
  • wide area networks (WANs) - linking national or international networks
  • global area networks (GANs) - combining networks over an unlimited geographical area.

Network engineers' key responsibilities are to make sure that an organisation's computer system has the capacity to meet its business needs and is secure. Examples of their work can include installing a new computer-based call handling system for a contact centre or servicing a bank's ATM network.

Typical duties include:

  • installing new software and hardware
  • setting up user-accounts, permissions and passwords
  • maintaining adequate security, especially where networks link to the internet
  • finding and fixing faults
  • implementing preventative maintenance schedules
  • giving technical support for end-users
  • providing training on new systems
  • carrying out day-to-day administration and monitoring network use
  • planning and implementing future developments.

Hours and Environment

Network engineers normally work 37 to 40 hours a week, Monday to Friday. They may need to work outside office hours when installing systems to minimise disruption to a client's service. Engineers are often on-call to cover any problems that occur outside normal working hours.

As a network engineer, your work will be office-based either on one site or, if working on a large network operation, between sites.

Skills and Interests

As a network engineer, you need:

  • excellent IT skills
  • excellent problem-solving skills
  • the ability to prioritise tasks
  • the ability to explain technical issues clearly
  • the ability to work within a team
  • good interpersonal skills
  • an excellent working knowledge of networking technologies and commitment to keep up to date with the latest developments.

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Entry

If you are aged under 24, you may be able to gain an apprentice technician position with an IT company or within the IT department of a commercial or public organisation. You will need four or five GCSEs (A-C)/S grades (1-3) including maths, English and information technology.

You can take IT courses at local colleges, which are open to any age group. These include:

  • City & Guilds (E-Quals ICT Systems Support 7262) IT Practitioners Diploma Level 2 and Advanced Diploma Level 3
  • BTEC National Certificate/Diploma for IT Practitioners (ICT Systems Support)
  • OCR (iPRO) Certificate for IT Practitioners (ICT Systems Support) at levels 2 and 3
  • CompTIA i-Net+ Certification.

The City & Guilds and OCR awards at Level 3 also contain optional units leading to certification in CompTIA, Cisco and Microsoft networking certifications. See the Training section below for more information.

These courses aim to provide you with the relevant knowledge and practical skills to install, upgrade and maintain network systems. They will cover areas such as:

  • network set up and configuration
  • LAN, MAN, WAN and GAN networks
  • networking protocols - TCP, IP, FTP and VOIP (internet telephony)
  • data transmission technologies - Ethernet, ISDN, ASDL, wireless, and ATM
  • network security - firewalls, anti-virus software and virtual private networks.

You may improve your prospects of getting into this job if you take a computing BTEC HNC/HND, foundation degree or degree. Employers will also consider other subjects and provide relevant training afterwards. At the moment, 3 out of 5 people working in computing started out with a non-IT degree.

For information about foundation degrees see Foundation Degree Forward. To search for colleges and universities offering foundation degrees, HNDs and degrees see the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS).

If you already have qualifications and experience in other areas of IT, for example maintenance and installation, you may be able to move into a networking role. See the separate job profile for Computer Service and Repair Technician.

See the e-skills, British Computer Society and CompTIA websites (in Further Information) for more details about networking and other IT careers.

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Training

Once you are working as a network engineer, it is important to keep your skills and knowledge up to date. You can do this by taking some of the courses outlined below. Some of these cover Linux operating systems as well as Windows.

  • CompTIA Network+ Certification
  • Certified Novell Engineer (CNE)
  • City & Guilds Higher Professional Diploma in Information Management Using ICT or IT Practitioners Level 4
  • OCR (iPRO) Higher Level award for IT Professionals (ICT Systems Support) Level 4
  • NVQs/SVQs for IT Professionals at levels 3 and 4.

Cisco Certification

Cisco offers certification at several levels for students and network professionals alike. Three of their networking awards are outlined below.

  • Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) – although not essential, it is recommended that you have a level 3 IT qualification or equivalent knowledge and experience to start
  • Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP) – you will need CCNA or a equivalent level of knowledge and experience to do this
  • Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE) – this is a high standard and it is recommended that you have several years' IT experience.

Microsoft Certification

You can work towards a range of Microsoft awards but the two most relevant to this job are:

  • Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE) - covers network analysis, design and implementation
  • Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator (MCSA) - covers network implementation, management and maintenance.

Once again, it is recommended that you hold a level 3 qualification or have extensive experience in the IT industry before starting certification training. See the Microsoft website for more details.

Graduate Professional Development Award (GDPA)

E-skills, the Sector Skills Council for IT, Telecoms and contact centres, has developed this award in conjunction with higher education institutions and IT employers in the UK. You can take this as part of an undergraduate, postgraduate or work-based training programme. It covers key skills required by the industry, including problem solving, teamworking and technical competencies. See e-skills UK for details.

The British Computer Society (BCS)

You can take the BCS professional awards to enhance your career prospects. These include a Certificate, Diploma and Professional Graduate Diploma, and are equivalent to the first, second and third year of a university honours degree. You can choose from options including computer networks and network information systems. Contact BCS for further details and entry requirements.

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Opportunities

Recent employer surveys suggest a long term upward trend in demand for networking engineers. Opportunities exist in a variety of sectors including finance, retail, local and national government, the health service and utility companies. You can also work for IT firms, dealing with their own systems or working in their contract services divisions.

With experience, you can progress to network management jobs or, with additional training, move into other areas of IT like project management or information security. See the profiles for IT Project Manager and IT Security Coordinator.

A popular progression route is consultancy work as a network analyst, either with an IT consultancy firm or on a self-employed basis.

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Annual Income

Figures are intended as a guideline only.
Salaries start between £15,000 and £20,000 a year.
With experience, earnings can rise to between £21,000 and £32,000.
Senior network engineers can earn upwards of £35,000 a year.

Further information

British Computer Society
1 Sanford Street
Swindon
Wiltshire
SN1 1HJ
http://www.bcs.org.uk
Computer Technology Industry Association (CompTIA)
http://www.comptia.org
Cisco Systems (UK and Ireland)
http://www.cisco.com/global/uk
Microsoft UK
http://www.microsoft.com/uk
Novell UK
http://www.novell.com/global/uk/
e-skills UK
1 Castle Lane
London
SW1E 6DR
http://www.e-skills.com

This month's profile has been supplied by Ufi Ltd the organization behind learndirect, one of the UK’s leading online training specialists. © Ufi Limited 2000. All rights reserved. learndirect is a registered trade mark of Ufi.

To find out more about learndirect and the services they offer, visit their website http://www.learndirect-advice.co.uk

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