Your starter plan: becoming a Network Administrator

This one page sequences a realistic path toward this role using only our cited data. Every step links to the detailed page behind it.

Where you might start

Many people reach this role from a non-tech background. These career-change starting points commonly bridge toward it:

• Help Desk Technician
• Military Veteran

The realistic first role

Your target first role is Network Administrator.

• Median pay: $99,130 per year (BLS occupation-level median for the mapped occupation, SOC 15-1244) — occupation context, not a per-person figure.
• Preparation: Job Zone 4 (considerable preparation needed).
• Outlook: Be honest with yourself here: BLS projects this occupation to shrink by 4.2% from 2024 to 2034, so openings come more from people leaving than from net new positions. BLS projects about 14.3 thousand annual openings for this occupation (2024-2034), counting both growth and workers who retire or move on.

See what the work actually looks like: a day in the life.

Skills to build

These are the highest-importance skills our seed data maps to this role (O*NET role-skill ratings, 1-5 — how central the skill is, not pay or hiring odds):

• Networking fundamentals — rated 5/5 for this role
• Troubleshooting — rated 4/5 for this role

See the full list and how to build each one: skills gap.

Credentials to consider

A credential is a skill signal that can structure your study — it is not a hiring guarantee, and a course is not the same as a proctored certification. Listed by our seed priority for this role:

• Cisco Certified Network Associate — certification (proctored exam) (what it costs)
• CompTIA Network+ — certification (proctored exam) (what it costs)
• Cisco CCNA Automation — certification (proctored exam) (what it costs)

Where it leads

This role sits in the networking pathway at the mid tier. See how roles in this area connect and where you can grow next: networking pathway.

Next step

This plan is a starting map, not a verdict. Start the RoleMath planner to see how well this role fits your background and what to do first.

Sources

• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Employment Projections Occupational Data Table 1.2: https://www.bls.gov/emp/ind-occ-matrix/occupation.xlsx
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — May 2025 OEWS Current Tables: https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/
• Cisco — Cisco Certified Network Associate: https://www.cisco.com/site/us/en/learn/training-certifications/exams/ccna.html
• Cisco — Cisco CCNA Automation Exam: https://www.cisco.com/site/us/en/learn/training-certifications/exams/ccnaauto.html
• CompTIA — Network+ Certification: https://www.comptia.org/en-us/certifications/network/

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