What is a Network Consultant?

Most businesses rely on their computer networks in order to do their work, but setting up secure networks is a difficult job. That is where a network consultant steps in. They help businesses install, maintain, and troubleshoot secure networks.

To the average person, LAN, MAN, WLAN, and PAN just look like a rhyming game gone wrong. But to a network consultant, these are just some of the many networks that they have to be ready to work with. Most network consultants need a degree related to computer science, extensive experience in the field, and excellent communication skills in order to work with clients.

For many network consultants, independence is one of the best parts of the job. While some work for networking services companies, many are independent contractors that get to set their own schedule. The job also involves traveling to work with networks in a company's office and some extra hours if necessary.

What Does a Network Consultant Do

There are certain skills that many network consultants have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed analytical skills, communication skills and multitasking skills.

Learn more about what a Network Consultant does

How To Become a Network Consultant

If you're interested in becoming a network consultant, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 60.3% of network consultants have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 11.6% of network consultants have master's degrees. Even though most network consultants have a college degree, it's possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.

Learn More About How To Become a Network Consultant
Top Network Consultant Jobs Near You

Network Consultant Career Paths

As you move along in your career, you may start taking on more responsibilities or notice that you've taken on a leadership role. Using our career map, a network consultant can determine their career goals through the career progression. For example, they could start out with a role such as network administrator, progress to a title such as systems engineer and then eventually end up with the title manager, systems engineering.

Network Consultant

Average Salary for a Network Consultant

Network Consultants in America make an average salary of $89,303 per year or $43 per hour. The top 10 percent makes over $132,000 per year, while the bottom 10 percent under $60,000 per year.
Average Network Consultant Salary
$89,303 Yearly
$42.93 hourly
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What Am I Worth?

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Roles and Types of Network Consultant

The role of a network consultant includes a wide range of responsibilities. These responsibilities can vary based on an individual's specific job, company, or industry.Here are some general network consultant responsibilities:

  • Assess, architect, design and implement complex system configurations for technology platforms at a national expert level in multiple customer environments. Assess, architect, design
  • Assess and interpret customer needs and requirements identify solutions to non-standard requests
  • Adapts existing methods and procedures to create possible alternative solutions to moderately complex problems. Understands the strategic direction set by senior management as it relates to team goals. Uses considerable judgment to determine solution

There are several types of network consultant, including:

Consultant

Role:

Consultants are essential to businesses that want to improve their performance. Typically, consultants advise these businesses in many areas such as operations, profitability, management, and even structure.

Consultants have their work cut out for them because their advice can stretch over so many different areas. You may need some expertise in management, strategy, human resources, finance, and IT (just to name a few fields).

In addition to having all of this knowledge, consultants typically work long hours, we're talking an average of 56 hours a week, but many work even beyond that, to around 70-80 hours. Spending that many hours at the office, you'll probably end up with some good friends, at least.

  • Average Salary: $78,912
  • Degree: Bachelor's Degree

Network Technician

Role:

You've probably been annoyed after losing your network connection while talking with your friends. Or perhaps, while watching your favorite movie on Netflix on a Saturday evening. It's frustrating, I know. Especially now, electronic communications are just as important as personal catch-ups. That's why we have our network technicians to save the day!

Network technicians are responsible for all your network and systems concerns. Most of them work in 24/7 service centers, day and night, seven days a week. Their schedules aren't usually like those of regular employees, that's the reason we're able to reach out to them whenever we have a problem - no matter what time of day it is. They are also tech geniuses, and they handle all concerns and updates from the users' inquiries. The world's modernization makes technology in-demand. Now, companies hire tech-savvy people to provide services for clients. And because this job requires high-level skills, the compensation for them is pretty good, too. How much? You should see it for yourself.

Sounds exciting, isn't it? Right. Especially if you love navigating and experimenting with computers. Sure, this job might be the best fit for you.

  • Average Salary: $68,938
  • Degree: Bachelor's Degree

Network Administrator

Role:

It is not surprising that many kinds of technology careers nowadays are very in-demand in almost every industry. That's why people are spending money studying technical skills to land a job that pays well in exchange for their expertise. But don't take it the wrong way, though. Being a computer expert isn't rainbows and rays of sunshine. You would probably get a lot of "WTF" moments during network failures and system downtimes. And worse.

A network administrator is just one of the many branches of technology. Network administrators manage troubleshooting procedures, requiring them to have both excellencies in technical skills and customer service. Most companies that need network administrators prefer to hire someone with prior experience, as this job has a lot of responsibility. Though they are usually working within regular business hours, a network administrator does not normally slouch until the end of the shift.

You thought scientists are the people who do experiments? You should see what a network administrator's day looks like. They actually search for the best methods to improve the network's condition and prevent system delays. If you're a frustrated scientist who always loved experiments, why don't you try your luck as a network administrator? Who knows, right?

  • Average Salary: $71,357
  • Degree: Bachelor's Degree
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States With The Most Network Consultant Jobs

Mouse over a state to see the number of active network consultant jobs in each state. The darker areas on the map show where network consultants earn the highest salaries across all 50 states.

Average Salary: Job Openings:

Number Of Network Consultant Jobs By State

RankStateNumber of JobsAverage Salary
1California2,246$114,954
2Virginia1,483$83,227
3Texas1,461$82,629
4Florida1,020$65,285
5Maryland891$81,735
6New York823$91,163
7Alabama781$63,311
8Illinois777$88,200
9Pennsylvania716$79,396
10North Carolina704$85,573
11Colorado622$78,463
12Massachusetts621$81,311
13Georgia587$71,118
14Oklahoma538$78,152
15Ohio506$79,797
16Washington504$103,529
17New Jersey501$104,914
18Arizona420$91,427
19Oregon382$97,938
20Minnesota374$66,472
21Michigan349$95,619
22Mississippi340$65,105
23Missouri333$69,639
24Indiana305$70,038
25Utah292$95,500
26Wisconsin276$82,800
27Tennessee247$75,807
28Connecticut230$80,536
29South Dakota221$84,080
30South Carolina215$68,320
31Iowa171$70,629
32Kentucky153$69,936
33Nebraska149$72,816
34New Mexico145$76,712
35Kansas145$73,286
36Nevada141$95,149
37New Hampshire123$90,283
38Louisiana117$71,029
39Hawaii114$85,275
40Alaska105$91,879
41Arkansas99$66,238
42Idaho93$93,651
43West Virginia92$73,324
44Rhode Island91$87,339
45Delaware83$80,381
46Vermont78$79,378
47Montana68$78,224
48Maine66$91,960
49North Dakota53$72,439
50Wyoming50$68,851

Network Consultant Education

Network Consultant Majors

Computer Science
17.7 %
Business
15.3 %
Electrical Engineering
12.8 %

Network Consultant Degrees

Bachelors

60.3 %

Associate

21.0 %

Masters

11.6 %

Top Colleges for Network Consultants

1. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

2. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-State Tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

3. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-State Tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

4. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

5. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$7,309

Enrollment

9,142

6. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

In-State Tuition

$9,808

Enrollment

13,990

7. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

8. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

In-State Tuition

$53,948

Enrollment

17,238

9. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-State Tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

10. Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Worcester, MA • Private

In-State Tuition

$50,530

Enrollment

4,571

Top Skills For a Network Consultant

The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 10.1% of network consultants listed appeals on their resume, but soft skills such as analytical skills and communication skills are important as well.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Network Consultant Resume templates

Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use Network Consultant templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your Network Consultant resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.

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Network Consultant diversity

Network Consultant Gender Distribution

Male
Male
87%
Female
Female
13%

After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:

  • Among network consultants, 13.0% of them are women, while 87.0% are men.

  • The most common race/ethnicity among network consultants is White, which makes up 61.7% of all network consultants.

  • The most common foreign language among network consultants is Spanish at 42.9%.

Online Courses For Network Consultant That You May Like

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1. The Bits and Bytes of Computer Networking

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This course is designed to provide a full overview of computer networking. We’ll cover everything from the fundamentals of modern networking technologies and protocols to an overview of the cloud to practical applications and network troubleshooting. By the end of this course, you’ll be able to: ● describe computer networks in terms of a five-layer model ● understand all of the standard protocols involved with TCP/IP communications ● grasp powerful network troubleshooting tools and techniques ●...

2. Networking in Google Cloud: Hybrid Connectivity and Network Management

coursera

Learn about the broad variety of networking options on Google Cloud. This course uses lectures, demos, and hands-on labs to help you explore and deploy Google Cloud networking technologies, including Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) networks, subnets, and firewalls; interconnection among networks; load balancing; Cloud DNS; Cloud CDN; and Cloud NAT. You'll also learn about common network design patterns and automated deployment using Terraform...

3. Computer Network Cabling: Ethernet Wiring Infrastructure

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4.2
(289)

The Physical Side of Computer Networking; Wire Ethernet Cables from Scratch and Master the Fundamentals of RJ-45 Ports...

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Best States For a Network Consultant

Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as a network consultant. The best states for people in this position are California, New Jersey, Washington, and Oregon. Network consultants make the most in California with an average salary of $114,954. Whereas in New Jersey and Washington, they would average $104,914 and $103,529, respectively. While network consultants would only make an average of $97,938 in Oregon, you would still make more there than in the rest of the country. We determined these as the best states based on job availability and pay. By finding the median salary, cost of living, and using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Location Quotient, we narrowed down our list of states to these four.

1. California

Total Network Consultant Jobs: 2,246
Highest 10% Earn:
$179,000
Location Quotient:
1.03

$114,954

Avg. Salary

View 2,246 Network Consultant Jobs In CA

2. Oregon

Total Network Consultant Jobs: 382
Highest 10% Earn:
$151,000
Location Quotient:
1.24

$97,938

Avg. Salary

View 382 Network Consultant Jobs In OR

3. Utah

Total Network Consultant Jobs: 292
Highest 10% Earn:
$150,000
Location Quotient:
1.23

$95,500

Avg. Salary

View 292 Network Consultant Jobs In UT
Full List Of Best States For Network Consultants

How Do Network Consultants Rate Their Jobs?

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Top Network Consultant Employers

Most Common Employers For Network Consultant

RankCompanyAverage SalaryHourly RateJob Openings
1Cisco$111,819$53.7617
2Accenture$105,151$50.5518
3Amerigroup$100,168$48.168
4MITRE$98,221$47.228
5TEKsystems$96,893$46.5816
6Aetna$92,232$44.3424
7AT&T$90,633$43.5742
8IBM$88,768$42.6819
9Hewlett Packard Enterprise$87,391$42.0117
10Ericsson$84,427$40.5911
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Network Consultant Videos

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Updated April 6, 2023