Do You Want to Make Career in Networking?

If you are looking for a career formation in the Computer Networking field, then yes, you are on the right track! As per the reports, the employment rate in computer networking field is all set to enhance around 5-6% from 2018 to 2028. Networking can be defined as the process of formation, development, and maintenance of computer networks. It can work on any geographical distance involved between computers. In this article, we will guide you about all the aspects to make a Career in Networking field.

You must have thought that despite various technologies out there, Why you should go for Networking? Because Networking is the fastest-growing field and the demand for skillful employees is increasing rapidly in this field. Also, factors like – job security, universal certification, etc in this field have an upper hand in comparison to other domains. The job profiles, salaries, career growth, companies, etc. for the Networking field are provided below.

Job Profiles & Salaries

Some of the major job profiles come under the Networking Domain along with their respective salary (approx.) are listed below:

1. Network Engineer: They are particularly responsible for designing and managing the groups of computers networked together. Apart from that, the installation and configuration of network devices, troubleshooting processes, and technical support & assistance operations are also lead by them. The Average Salary of Network Engineers is 6-8 Lakhs Per Annum.

2. Network Analyst: They are responsible for assessing the created network systems including some other related operations such as documentation process, policymaking, software installation, etc. They are the one who works from both the end i.e., identify the problem and then providing a solution. The Average Salary of Network Analyst is 4-5 Lakhs Per Annum.

3. Network Technician: They are responsible for troubleshooting and repairing of the specific hardware and software devices. They also deal with help-desk services to repair or upgrade the systems. They should have extensive knowledge of various operating systems like – Linux, Unix, Windows, etc. along with the fundamentals of computer networking. The Average Salary of Network Technician is 3-5 Lakhs Per Annum.

4. Network Solution Architect: They are responsible for leading the design process of the network system. Also, they manage the existing networks and monitors the traffic. They have to provide efficient and cost-effective network design for the organization. The Average Salary of Network Solution Architect is 9-11 Lakhs Per Annum and these are the highest-paid employees in the networking field.

5. Network Programmer: They are responsible for writing codes or scripts for the network analysis, such as diagnostics or monitoring utilities. They are also responsible for the configuration and assessment of the APIs and the integration of new technologies into the existing network structure. The Average Salary of Network Programmer is 7-8 Lakhs Per Annum.

So after all the above discussions (including Salary Factor!!), you must be curious to know about the procedure to get enter into this field. Okay, so let’s talk about it too. If you want to build a career in networking then you can go with one of the two approaches:

• You can do the specialization in Computer Networking by doing Post Graduation in the concerned stream. After completion of that, you can get a chance to join some major Networking Companies like Cisco, Juniper etc. Most probably you will get an opportunity to work in the Research and Development Department.
• Or the other way is you can go for the vendor certifications like CCNA, CCNP, etc. It is largely preferred by the people who want to make a career in the networking field. Although, you will be able to design, install, configure and troubleshoot the networks through these certifications.

Now, the question arises that which Networking Certification is good for you? Here we have listed some of the major certifications in the Networking field so that you can get an idea about which one you should go for.

1. Cisco Certification: Cisco is a hardware and software networking multinational company. It was founded in December 1984 by Sandy Lerner and is headquartered in San Jose, California, in the center of Silicon Valley. It offers various levels of network certifications. Some of the most important CISCO Certifications are listed below:

• CCNA: Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) certification is concerned with the process of installation, set up, configuration, troubleshooting and operating a routed and switched computer network. It acts as a prerequisite for more advanced certifications.
• CCNP: Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP) certification is recommended for the IT Professionals who have some experience in networking and are looking for more exposure and growth in this field. However, the validity of this certification is for 3 years, after which it requires a renewal.
• CCIE: Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE) certification are for those who have some expertise in designing and handling complex network systems.

2. Wireshark WCNA Certification: The Wireshark Certified Network Analyst (WCNA) Certification program concerns the analysis of packets and protocols for the network troubleshooting, optimization, and security purpose. The exam for this certification consists of following areas –

• Wireshark Functionality
• TCP/IP Network Communications
• Network Troubleshooting
• Network Security

3. SolarWinds Certified Professional Certification: SolarWinds Certified Professional certification is provided by SolarWinds which concerns the ability to handle network and system management products. A single exam consisting of 75 questions with a duration of 90 minutes is conducted for the certification.

4. Juniper Certification: Juniper Networks provides the certifications at various levels – Associate, Specialist, Professional and Expert. Some of the major Juniper Certifications are listed below –

• JNCIA: It is designed for the Associate Level. This certification exam is concerned with the basic knowledge of networking and functionality of the Juniper Networks.
• JNCIS: It is designed for the Specialist Level. The purpose of it is to analyze the intermediate-level understanding of the candidate in the respective domain i.e., data center, routing & switching or security.
• JNCIP: It is designed for the Professional Level. This certification exam is concerned with the wider knowledge of networking domains and advances the functionality of the Juniper Networks.
• JNCIE: It is designed for the Expert Level. The purpose of this certification is to validate the expertise of the networking professionals in the concerned field.

So after knowing about all the necessary aspects of making a career in networking, the only thing which is remaining to discuss is about those top giants of the networking industry. It is estimated by the industry analysts that the Networking market will be growing at a CAGR of around 3.5% during the period 2019-2023. Some of the top networking companies across the world are listed here.

1. IBM
2. Cisco Systems
3. Intel
4. 3Com
5. Brocade
6. Juniper
7. Verizon
8. AT&T
9. Microsoft
10. Siemens