What is the difference between a network engineer and IT support?

IT support (help desk) focuses on keeping individual end-user devices, accounts, and applications working. A network engineer is responsible for the shared infrastructure layer everything else depends on — switches, routers, wireless access points, firewalls, and cabling. A network outage can take down an entire floor or company, not just one person's laptop, which is why network engineering involves more upfront design, documentation, and change-control discipline than general IT support.

Do you need a degree to become a network engineer?

Not necessarily a specific accredited degree — many network engineers enter through an IT or computer science degree, an associate's degree, or a self-taught, certification-driven path. Vendor certifications are unusually central to hiring in this field: the Cisco CCNA is the near-universal entry-level credential, and the CCNP signals mid-to-senior specialized expertise, often mattering as much to employers as a formal degree.

What certifications do network engineers need?

The Cisco CCNA (Cisco Certified Network Associate) is the standard entry-level credential covering routing, switching, and networking fundamentals. The CCNP (Cisco Certified Network Professional), with tracks like Enterprise, Security, and Data Center, is the typical next step for mid-to-senior roles. CompTIA Network+ is a common vendor-neutral starting point, and engineers working with other platforms often pursue Juniper (JNCIA/JNCIP) or Aruba certifications as well.

Engineering·9 min read·July 29, 2026

🌐 What Is Network Engineering? A Complete Overview

What network engineers actually design and maintain — enterprise LAN/WAN, structured cabling, wireless networks, VoIP, and data centers — the core sub-areas, tools (Cisco, Juniper), certifications (CCNA/CCNP), and career path.

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What Network Engineers Actually Do

Network engineering is the discipline of designing, building, securing, and maintaining the infrastructure that moves data between people, devices, applications, and sites — everything from the switch under a desk to the WAN links connecting a company's offices across continents. If a business can send an email, join a video call, swipe a badge, print a document, or run a cloud application, a network engineer designed and is maintaining the underlying path that traffic takes to get there. The discipline sits at the intersection of electrical/low-voltage infrastructure (physical cabling, wireless RF), computer science (protocols, addressing, routing algorithms), and increasingly, security engineering (the network is the primary control point for containing threats).

Topics covered

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