My Dream Career as a Network Engineer

Generally, Information Technology (IT) has a number of career opportunities. For instance, network administrator specialist and network engineering are some of the related jobs in the field of IT. However, I will focus on my dream career which is becoming a network engineer. The professional is required to design communication networks, implement, maintain and troubleshoot a computer network between organizations or within an organization (Morris 13).  As a network engineer, one should ensure the availability and integrity of a network infrastructure to deliver maximum performance for users such as the staff, customers, clients, and suppliers. Therefore, for one to become a network engineer, there are certain requirements and skills that are needed. These professionals may work within a firm's IT support team, or outside as an outsourced IT consultant.  Networking is recently a necessary technology that is widespread and highly technical. It has become part of the day to day activities: for entertainment, recreation, education and at workplaces as well.

Although the United State is one of the developed countries, the level of unemployment is relatively high but the demand for network engineers has always been strong.

The Role of a Network Engineers

The responsibilities of a network engineer depend on the sector and size of the employing firm. For instance, small companies will require one to troubleshoot any IT arising problems while in large investments there are specific responsibilities. However, these duties range from local wide area networks to the internet access solutions. For a network to function appropriately, engineers are required to setup and configure equipment and devices like routers, switches, servers, user computers, firewalls and a number of other devices (Morris 13).  They also work with network operating systems, hardware, users, and security software. Network engineers have to master various different standards and protocols in order to install, configure, filter, test and monitor tools. They also maintain new server software and hardware infrastructures by identifying and diagnosing arising network problems such as a virus, management of email, and spam harms (Slayford 2). They are expected to perform a daily maintenance and ensure that the equipment has been upgraded as well.

Moreover, network engineers are responsible for strategy and planning where they collaborate with the department leaders and the management team to assess short and long-term capability needs for a network. They are accountable for creating and maintaining documentation of the network configurations, mapping service records, and processes. Network engineers also ensure that procedures, policies, network training plans, disaster recovery, administration, and usage have been developed, implemented and maintained (Louisiana Technical College 1).  They are responsible for acquisition and deployment as well. For instance, they interact and negotiate with outsourcers, vendors, and contractors to ensure that the network services and products are secure. Most importantly, they need to manage costs and deliver applications.

These duties and responsibilities motivated me a lot because I will have a chance to meet my dream career, learn and gain more skills and experience in the networking field. Through this job, I will be able to become an IT expert hence opening more opportunities in the job market.

Education requirements

It is important for me to attain some education level to work in the network engineering field. Some of the certification and formal education I need include a bachelor's degree in Computer science, Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) through Cisco, Security + through CompTIA, and MCSA through Microsoft and CCNP through cisco. To add on that, am supposed to have been exposed to virtual lab tools such as the cisco's packet tracer. Other qualifications that would increase my chances of getting this job include mathematics, physics, electrical/ electronic engineering, telecommunication management, computer information systems, and also computer security management (Morris 14).

Place of Work

I would like to work and live in the United State due to the high demand for the Network Engineers. The U.S have large companies which are integrated with computer networks hence increased demand for network engineers and computer systems administrators. Moreover, according to investigations, this demand has increased by 23% between 2008 and 2018 since these organizations have been investing in new technologies (Morris 14). People are also adopting mobile technologies at a high rate and as a result, more developments will require internet to conduct businesses online. Besides, cyber-attacks are becoming more frequent and sophisticating hence professionals with security skills are in demand I the United State.

Salary

As an entry-level network engineer, I will get the average salary of 19,000 dollars but this depends on the type, size and sector of the firm I will be working in, and also the scope of computer network installations. Otherwise, the salary may change depending on the job experience and performance. For instance, with an experience of security experts within 5 to10 years, then the expected salary is 102,000 dollars (Morris 15). However, due to the high demand for the IT positions, salaries will probably increase by 25% every year.

Conclusion

Considering the above investigation, I conclude that I will continue pursuing Network Engineering in order to gain more skills and also increase my chances of getting a job in one of the largest organizations in the U.S as a Network Engineer expert. Ultimately, this career is highly demanded due to the emergence of new technologies.

References

Morris, Gerard, Janos Fustos, and Wayne Haga. "Preparing for a Career as a Network Engineer." Information Systems Education Journal 10.1 (2012): 13.

Louisiana Technical College. Network Engineer. 24 March 2017. .

Slayford, Simon. Network Engineer vs Network Administrator. 5 July 2017. .