How To Become A Lead Network Specialist: What It Is and Career Path

What is a lead network specialist and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted expert

Laura Kier

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a lead network specialist. For example, did you know that they make an average of $48.04 an hour? That's $99,922 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 5% and produce 18,200 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to a lead network specialist?

Laura Kier

Network Design and Administration Instructor

Students graduating from the Computer Network Design and Administration program will enter the job market with a solid foundation in networking technologies. Above that they should also be able to develop and demonstrate excellent communication and interpersonal skills. Networking has a strong emphasis on teamwork and being able to communicate well with customers, co-workers and teammates is vital. Attaining certifications in Cisco, Linux, Windows, and security will also help the student stand out within the industry (classes in the program help to learn the knowledge needed to attain certifications). Students should participate in any local or online communities and groups to enhance skills and knowledge and find networking opportunities.

ScoreLead Network SpecialistUS Average

Salary

7.6

Avg. Salary $99,922

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

5.7

Growth rate 5%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

3.8

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.31%

Asian 10.06%

Black or African American 9.02%

Hispanic or Latino 12.71%

Unknown 5.10%

White 62.80%

Gender

female 14.58%

male 85.42%

Age - 42

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 42

Stress level

5.7

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

6.7

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

7.1

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a lead network specialist

Explore lead network specialist education requirements

Most common lead network specialist degrees

Bachelor's

60.0 %

Associate

26.7 %

Master's

7.5 %

Start to develop specific lead network specialist skills

Skills	Percentages
Switches	7.59%
NOC	6.28%
Network Performance	5.54%
Firewall	4.86%
DNS	4.53%

Complete relevant lead network specialist training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New lead network specialists learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a lead network specialist based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real lead network specialist resumes.

Research lead network specialist duties and responsibilities

Engineer and manage creation of co-registration Java modules for integration with Akamai streaming servers.
Provide support for T1, T3, DSL, LTE, WiMAX, VPN, CDMA.
Coordinate deployment and redeployment of PC's and SGI's.
Support for Cisco VOIP telephony system, and all relate infrastructure.

Get lead network specialist experience

Generally, it takes 1-2 years to become a lead network specialist. The most common roles before becoming a lead network specialist include network technician, network administrator team lead and technical support specialist.

Apply for lead network specialist jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a lead network specialist job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do lead network specialists rate their job?

-/5

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Lead network specialist reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Feb 2020

Pros

I love the fact that I have self taught myself by trouble shooting issues for fifteen years while working in corrections as the Video court officer with no prior experince or degree

Cons

I dislike the fact that I don't get paid as a Video technician although I'm called to fix issues

A zippia user wrote a review on Nov 2019