Nature of work
A network engineer designs and implements computer networks. Different from a network administrator, who performs day-to-day support, the network engineer focuses on high-level design and planning.A network engineer selects the appropriate data communications components and organizes them to meet user and corporate needs. The structure of a reliable and high-performing network mixing LAN, WAN, Internet, and intranet components needs network modeling and analysis.The duties will be as follows:
-Installing, supporting and maintaining new server hardware and software infrastructure.
-Managing email, anti-spam and virus protection.
-Setting up user accounts, permissions and passwords.
-Monitoring network usage.
-Ensuring the most cost-effective and efficient use of servers.
-Suggesting and providing IT solutions to business and management problems.
-Ensuring that all IT equipment complies with industry standards.
-Analyzing and resolving faults, ranging from a major system crash to a forgotten password.
-Undertaking routine preventative measures and implementing, maintaining and monitoring network security.
-Providing training and technical support for users with varying levels of IT knowledge and competence.
Environment of work
A network engineer usually works for 7 hours per day. He/she needs to be ready for working outside office hours and needs to be flexible in case of major technical problems. Some employers expect that he/she will do shift work, although this is less likely at a more senior level.Self-employment and irregular work are possible with experience.The job may be stressful and pressured; particularly when things go wrong, as companies depends on their computer networks. If he/she works as an expert, he/she may spend a lot of time at clients’ offices and, on large installations, this may mean spending several weeks away from home or his/her usual work base. If he/sheworks for an organization, travels away from his/her work base is unlikely, although he/she may not spend much time at his/her own workstation as he/ she will be dealing with problems throughout the organization. Professional life
Career path will depend to a certain extent on the size of the organization that the network engineer works for and the scope of its IT systems. A network engineer can progress to network management positions or, with additional training, transfer into other IT roles, such as project management. This who starts as help-desk technicians can sometimes progress to a network engineer posts, then on to senior network support and finally network controller (mainly involved in decision-making, staff management and advice on future strategy). This may be a typical career path in an organization such as a large bank or a major government department. Some network engineers choose to broaden their careers into other IT, customer-related or management functions. A common career option is consultancy work as a network analyst, either with an IT consultancy firm or on a self-employed basis. There are also some chances to teach or train, although this may only provide part-time work, such as teaching evening courses.Typical starting salaries: 40000 SYP.
Getting the job
Although this work is open to all graduates and It will be very useful in his/her career advancement to study the following subjects: Computer science, electrical/electronic engineering, physics, mathematics, computer software/computer systems engineering.Related work experience is useful, including experience gained through vacation work and being on the user end of IT systems is useful, too, as it gives him/her an idea of the types of problem that arise. Experience of team-working is also important.
Skills
There are many skills he/she needs to have and improve; such as:· Up-to-date knowledge and understanding of his/her employer's business and industry needs as well as the technical demands.
· Recognition of the importance of customer focus and/or of serving the needs of the end user.
· Good communication skills, particularly the ability to communicate with staff who are not technically trained.
· The ability to take on a variety of tasks and pay attention to detail.
· Analytical and problem-solving skills.
· Team-working skills and the ability to feel comfortable working with different work teams, clients and groups of staff across an organization.
· Organizational skills and the ability to arrangehis/her workload.
Sources and references
If you need any further information on what is included in this file, you can visit the following websites:· networkengineering.stackexchange.com, a question and answer site for network engineers.
· Arab Standard Classification of Occupations, 2008, Ed. Arab Labor Organization.
Summary
A network engineer is responsible for installing, maintaining and supporting computer communication networks within an organization or between organizations. His/her goal is to ensure the smooth operation of communication networks in order to provide maximum performance and availability for his/her users, such as staff, customers and suppliers.He/she works internally as part of an organization's IT support team or externally as part of an IT networking consultancy firm working with clients.