How To Become A Watchguard: What It Is and Career Path

What is a watchguard and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

2 min read

Quoted expert

Laura Kier

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a watchguard. For example, did you know that they make an average of $32.51 an hour? That's $67,613 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 watchguard?

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.

ScoreWatchguardUS Average

Salary

5.3

Avg. Salary $67,613

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 8.79%

Black or African American 8.64%

Hispanic or Latino 12.62%

Unknown 5.09%

White 64.55%

Gender

female 12.87%

male 87.13%

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 watchguard

Explore watchguard education requirements

Most common watchguard degrees

Bachelor's

61.3 %

Associate

25.8 %

High School Diploma

9.7 %

Start to develop specific watchguard skills

Skills	Percentages
Firewall	10.73%
Windows Server	10.47%
Switches	8.02%
VMware	5.51%
VPN	5.44%

Complete relevant watchguard training and internships

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

Research watchguard duties and responsibilities

Institute centrally manage Linux configurations for application deployments, disaster recovery.
Monitor and administer firewall (Watchguard).
Install, configure, & troubleshoot 3rd part applications software.
Install and troubleshoot firewalls, Sonicwall, WatchGuard, Cisco.

Apply for watchguard jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a watchguard 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