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

What is a network security engineer and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted expert

Andrea Welker Ph.D.

Network security engineers are responsible for the provisioning, deployment, configuration, and administration of many different pieces of network and security-related hardware and software. They are an organization's first line of defense against unauthorized access from outside sources and potential security threats. They are able to mitigate potential threats that become evident as well as strategize and prepare before any security threat is enacted.

Essential tasks that you will be performing in this role include testing for network vulnerabilities and finding solutions, preparing reports of findings, produce documents relating to protocol and processes that are in place, creating network security policies for the organization, and managing vendor relationships. Essential skills that are required in this capacity include enterprise firewall experience, communication skills, adaptability, leadership, and problem-solving.

Educational requirements include a bachelor's degree in computer science, software engineering, or a related discipline. Moreover, some positions may require you to have an I.T certificate and five to ten years of relevant proven work experience.

The average hourly wage for the position is $39.73, which amounts to $86,502 annually. The career is expected to grow in the coming years and result in over 18,000 opportunities across the United States.

What general advice would you give to a network security engineer?

Andrea Welker Ph.D.

Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, College of Engineering Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Villanova University

Be open to new experiences. Find a good mentor. Become a valued employee. Always remember that you are designing something for someone.

ScoreNetwork Security EngineerUS Average

Salary

6.9

Avg. Salary $88,322

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

5.7

Growth rate 5%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

3.6

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.31%

Asian 13.92%

Black or African American 7.99%

Hispanic or Latino 11.70%

Unknown 5.01%

White 61.07%

Gender

female 9.26%

male 90.74%

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 security engineer

Explore network security engineer education requirements

Most common network security engineer degrees

Bachelor's

65.8 %

Associate

15.1 %

Master's

14.7 %

Start to develop specific network security engineer skills

Skills	Percentages
Network Security	10.46%
Windows	4.53%
Cisco Asa	4.39%
Switches	4.22%
Linux	3.56%

Complete relevant network security engineer training and internships

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

Gain additional network security engineer certifications

Network security engineer 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 security engineer certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

The most common certifications for network security engineers include CCNP Service Provider Operations (CCNP) and Certified Information Systems Security Professional - Architecture (CISSP).

More About Certifications

Research network security engineer duties and responsibilities

Add and manage nodes in SolarWinds for monitoring purposes using SNMP v1/v2/v3.
Work with VMware NSX with deployment of greenfield environment and managing and troubleshooting issues with NSX.
Interact successfully with both program leads and DoD customer to ensure objectives are completed on time.
Experience in managing and troubleshooting Linux or Unix base operating systems.

Prepare your network security engineer resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your network security engineer 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 security engineer 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 security engineer resume templates

Build a professional network security engineer resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your network security engineer resume.