How To Become A Network Planning Engineer: What It Is and Career Path

What is a network planning engineer and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Network planning engineers maintain the internal and external computer networks of an organization. They support various departments of a company, defining project goals and tasks, upgrading and maintaining networks.

Working in this position, you will be responsible for analyzing the information capacity of the fiber plan defining the architecture of the network. You will analyze and optimize the network area, its cost efficiency and connectivity parameters. You will work out the expenses of transmissions, and calculate circuit plans.

A degree in computer science or a relevant IT field will be necessary to take on this role. You can also acquire certifications as a network engineer, to prove and perfect your skills. Analytical thinking, a passion for problem-solving, excellent communication and technical skills will all be important for you to succeed in this role. Your efforts will be rewarded with hourly salaries averaging around $46.45.

ScoreNetwork Planning EngineerUS Average

Salary

7.4

Avg. Salary $94,120

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

5.7

Growth rate 5%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

3.5

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.31%

Asian 14.11%

Black or African American 8.09%

Hispanic or Latino 11.81%

Unknown 5.02%

White 60.66%

Gender

female 19.10%

male 80.90%

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 planning engineer

Explore network planning engineer education requirements

Most common network planning engineer degrees

Bachelor's

72.1 %

Master's

12.6 %

Associate

10.7 %

Start to develop specific network planning engineer skills

Skills	Percentages
Network Planning	8.97%
Capacity Planning	4.88%
OSPF	3.99%
Ethernet	3.96%
RF	3.88%

Complete relevant network planning engineer training and internships

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

Research network planning engineer duties and responsibilities

Manage SunOS UNIX base network systems.
Excele at managing major network-wide upgrades; improve speed and predictability of multicast and order-routing data.
Evaluate KPI ad adjust parameters base in MRR and statistics.
Track and forecast minutes of use for voice switches across the country.

Get network planning engineer experience

Generally, it takes 1-2 years to become a network planning engineer. The most common roles before becoming a network planning engineer include network engineer, engineer team lead and radio frequency engineer.

Apply for network planning engineer jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a network planning engineer 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