How To Become A Network Engineer/Project Manager: What It Is and Career Path

What is a network engineer/project manager and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted expert

Maryam Farahani

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a network engineer/project manager. For example, did you know that they make an average of $50.92 an hour? That's $105,922 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 network engineer/project manager?

Maryam Farahani

Engineering Instructor, Bakersfield College

Thinking about the fields they want to experience or try. And to be intentional about their job search. The best advice is learning as much as they can about what company offers. Visualizing themselves in the next 5 years as a starting point. Do they want to travel a lot, or be in management positions? Do they want to be subject matter expert, or a hands-on engineer or technologist? Their goal may change as they progress in their career but having one makes a big difference in their career choices and keeping them on track.

ScoreNetwork Engineer/Project ManagerUS Average

Salary

7.8

Avg. Salary $105,922

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 8.75%

Black or African American 8.97%

Hispanic or Latino 12.65%

Unknown 5.09%

White 64.23%

Gender

female 15.18%

male 84.82%

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 network engineer/project manager

Explore network engineer/project manager education requirements

Most common network engineer/project manager degrees

Bachelor's

59.0 %

Associate

20.8 %

Master's

14.1 %

Start to develop specific network engineer/project manager skills

Skills	Percentages
Customer Service	11.78%
Switches	6.88%
Network Infrastructure	6.65%
Windows Server	5.70%
Project Management	5.10%

Complete relevant network engineer/project manager training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New network engineer/project managers 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 network engineer/project manager based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real network engineer/project manager resumes.

Gain additional network engineer/project manager certifications

Network engineer/project manager certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for the position. Certifications can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a specific network engineer/project manager certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

The most common certifications for network engineer/project managers include Project Management Professional (PMP) and Master Project Manager (MPM).

More About Certifications

Research network engineer/project manager duties and responsibilities

Manage development of intranet service on internal LAN and online product catalog, invoice retrieval system, and RMA system.
Manage firewall upgrade project configuring and replacing firewalls at high level facilities.
Manage the first and second releases of a highly customize SharePoint portal application focuse on engaging partners and automating business processes.
Ensure all servers and clients are operational using DHCP, DNS, TCP/IP and VPN.

Prepare your network engineer/project manager resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your network engineer/project manager resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a network engineer/project manager resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable network engineer/project manager resume templates

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