The modern world runs on vast connected computer networks built, configured and maintained by network engineers. These behind-the-scenes tech experts play a critical part in the success of nearly all businesses, government agencies and nonprofit organizations, yet many people are unfamiliar with the role or assume network engineers are primarily responsible for setting up servers and creating new user accounts.
Technologies like artificial intelligence and network automation will change the scope of this role but probably won't have a major impact on the overall demand for networking professionals. Current trends indicate that cloud providers, data centers and global conglomerates may employ the majority of networking professionals in the future. Network engineer jobs will grow at about the same rate as the average across fields over the next decade, but keep in mind that the demand for network engineers is already high. An average growth rate might not look exciting on paper but does suggest demand will stay high.
