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Infrastructure
Network Administrator
Nobody notices you until the internet stops.
Typical pay
$60k-$120k
How you get in
IT experience plus CCNA or equivalent
Outlook
Stable, shifting toward cloud networking
Network admins design, maintain and troubleshoot the switches, routers, firewalls and wireless that everything else depends on. It is invisible when done well and extremely visible when it breaks.
A day in the life
- 8:00aCheck monitoring dashboards and overnight alerts
- 9:00aInvestigate a slow link between two sites
- 11:00aFirewall rule changes for a new application
- 1:00pPlan a switch firmware upgrade
- 3:00pWireless survey in a problem building
- 6:00pMaintenance window — the upgrade runs after hours
How to get in
Help desk to network
Duration
2-4 years
Cost
$500-$3,000 in certifications
Credential
CompTIA Network+, then CCNA
- Start on help desk or desktop support
- Get Network+ while employed, then study for the CCNA
- Volunteer for anything network-adjacent at work
- Move into a junior network admin role
CCNA-first
Duration
6-12 months of study
Cost
$1,000-$3,000
Credential
Cisco CCNA
- Build a home lab with real or emulated gear
- Study and pass the CCNA — it is still the industry benchmark
- Apply to NOC or junior network roles
- Add CCNP or a cloud networking certification within a few years
IT or networking degree
Duration
2-4 years
Cost
$8,000-$120,000
Credential
AAS or BS plus certifications
- Complete an IT or network administration program
- Get the CCNA alongside the degree — the degree alone will not get you hired
- Intern or work part-time in IT
- Enter as a network technician or junior admin
What people love
- · Strong pay with certifications instead of a degree
- · Every organization needs one
- · Clear certification ladder into cloud and security
- · Deep, satisfying technical problems
What wears people down
- · After-hours maintenance windows
- · On-call when the network is down
- · Blamed for anything slow, network or not
- · Cloud migration is reshaping the role