Computer Network Architects
Design and implement computer and information networks, such as local area networks (LAN), wide area networks (WAN), intranets, extranets, and other data communications networks. Perform network modeling, analysis, and planning, including analysis of capacity needs for network infrastructures. May also design network and computer security measures. May research and recommend network and data communications hardware and software.
- O*NET-SOC code
15-1241.00 - Preparation Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
Wages
Median annual wage, U.S.$134,050
Employment, U.S.179,740
Median hourly wage$64.45
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $79,900 | $104,620 | $134,050 | $168,200 | $202,680 |
By state (51)
| State | Employment | Median annual | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 4,200 | $130,810 | 1.72 |
| Alaska | 120 | $119,720 | 0.32 |
| Arizona | 3,990 | $130,890 | 1.07 |
| Arkansas | 910 | $110,400 | 0.60 |
| California | 14,870 | $158,870 | 0.71 |
| Colorado | 16,380 | $139,230 | 4.93 |
| Connecticut | 1,570 | $143,890 | 0.80 |
| Delaware | 760 | $148,390 | 1.36 |
| District of Columbia | 1,490 | $137,670 | 1.84 |
| Florida | 9,370 | $132,800 | 0.82 |
| Georgia | 7,690 | $133,890 | 1.36 |
| Hawaii | 320 | $108,000 | 0.44 |
| Idaho | 720 | $107,620 | 0.72 |
| Illinois | 7,810 | $132,790 | 1.11 |
| Indiana | 2,030 | $124,190 | 0.55 |
| Iowa | 1,170 | $103,050 | 0.65 |
| Kansas | 1,770 | $100,610 | 1.06 |
| Kentucky | 1,710 | $103,740 | 0.74 |
| Louisiana | 470 | $106,620 | 0.21 |
| Maine | 570 | $108,570 | 0.77 |
| Maryland | 5,860 | $159,460 | 1.83 |
| Massachusetts | 6,270 | $155,060 | 1.49 |
| Michigan | 3,210 | $112,040 | 0.63 |
| Minnesota | 2,040 | $133,270 | 0.60 |
| Mississippi | $90,990 | ||
| Missouri | 3,360 | $103,130 | 0.99 |
| Montana | 250 | $104,300 | 0.42 |
| Nebraska | 1,350 | $116,420 | 1.14 |
| Nevada | 1,010 | $138,060 | 0.56 |
| New Hampshire | 560 | $125,420 | 0.71 |
| New Jersey | 5,660 | $162,350 | 1.14 |
| New Mexico | 420 | $109,080 | 0.42 |
| New York | 9,800 | $140,390 | 0.88 |
| North Carolina | 8,350 | $127,320 | 1.46 |
| North Dakota | 230 | $108,990 | 0.46 |
| Ohio | 5,150 | $131,070 | 0.80 |
| Oklahoma | 1,320 | $109,450 | 0.67 |
| Oregon | 1,540 | $135,660 | 0.68 |
| Pennsylvania | 6,080 | $131,840 | 0.87 |
| Rhode Island | 460 | $131,320 | 0.80 |
| South Carolina | 1,950 | $134,990 | 0.73 |
| South Dakota | 420 | $153,390 | 0.80 |
| Tennessee | 4,330 | $123,860 | 1.14 |
| Texas | 13,650 | $133,310 | 0.84 |
| Utah | 1,330 | $121,000 | 0.66 |
| Vermont | 130 | $110,930 | 0.37 |
| Virginia | 9,380 | $141,340 | 1.97 |
| Washington | 4,730 | $168,070 | 1.15 |
| West Virginia | 360 | $122,520 | 0.44 |
| Wisconsin | 2,170 | $131,720 | 0.64 |
| Wyoming | 50 | $100,520 | 0.16 |
Similar occupations
Similarity is our measure: the cosine of importance x level over all 120 O*NET skills, knowledge areas and abilities. It is not an O*NET finding. More.
Circles are the 20 most similar occupations, coloured by Job Zone. Lines join pairs where one is among the other's 10 most similar; darker lines are pairs O*NET also lists as related. Drag a circle to move it out of the way; select one to open it.
| # | Occupation | Job Zone | Similarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Computer Systems Engineers/Architects | 3 | 0.980 |
| 2 | Information Security Analysts | 4 | 0.974 |
| 3 | Database Administrators | 4 | 0.972 |
| 4 | Computer Systems Analysts | 4 | 0.969 |
| 5 | Computer and Information Research Scientists | 5 | 0.966 |
| 6 | Radio Frequency Identification Device Specialists | 4 | 0.964 |
| 7 | Network and Computer Systems Administrators | 3 | 0.963 |
| 8 | Database Architects | 4 | 0.963 |
| 9 | Penetration Testers | 4 | 0.962 |
| 10 | Computer and Information Systems Managers | 4 | 0.959 |
One skill away
Among the 50 occupations most similar to Computer Network Architects, those at the same Job Zone or lower, where exactly one skill rated at least 3 in importance needs a level more than 0.75 points higher (on O*NET's 0-7 level scale). Our definition. Change the thresholds.
| Occupation | Skill to build | Level gap | Similarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical Engineers | Science | 1.74 | 0.950 |
| Electronics Engineers, Except Computer | Science | 1.37 | 0.944 |
| Computer Programmers | Programming | 1.26 | 0.944 |
| Industrial Engineering Technologists and Technicians | Science | 1.37 | 0.935 |
| Media Technical Directors/Managers | Monitoring | 1.24 | 0.925 |
| Validation Engineers | Science | 2.50 | 0.924 |
| Solar Energy Systems Engineers | Science | 2.00 | 0.922 |
Software to learn next
Software used by at least 3 of the 20 occupations most similar to Computer Network Architects, excluding software Computer Network Architects already lists and any you named. Ranked by how many of them use it, weighted by how much more common it is among them than across all occupations (lift). Our ranking.
| Software | Similar jobs using it | Lift |
|---|---|---|
| Microsoft SQL Server Integration Services SSIS | 9 of 20 | 21.9x |
| Microsoft Visual C# .NET | 8 of 20 | 24.6x |
| Jupyter Notebook | 8 of 20 | 23.1x |
| Microsoft Visual Basic.NET | 8 of 20 | 21.7x |
| Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications VBA | 10 of 20 | 10.3x |
| Backbone.js | 7 of 20 | 21.5x |
| Kubernetes | 7 of 20 | 21.5x |
| Google Analytics | 9 of 20 | 10.4x |
| React | 7 of 20 | 20.2x |
| Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS) | 6 of 20 | 30.8x |
Skills
From O*NET data. Importance is rated 1 to 5 and level 0 to 7.
| Skill | Type | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Critical Thinking | Essential skill | 4.12 | 4.12 |
| Reading Comprehension | Essential skill | 4.00 | 4.12 |
| Complex Problem Solving | Transferable skill | 3.88 | 4.12 |
| Systems Evaluation | Transferable skill | 3.88 | 3.88 |
| Programming | Transferable skill | 3.88 | 3.62 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | Transferable skill | 3.75 | 4.00 |
| Active Listening | Essential skill | 3.75 | 3.88 |
| Systems Analysis | Transferable skill | 3.75 | 3.88 |
| Writing | Essential skill | 3.62 | 3.75 |
| Speaking | Essential skill | 3.50 | 3.88 |
| Coordination | Transferable skill | 3.50 | 3.62 |
| Active Learning | Essential skill | 3.25 | 3.88 |
| Quality Control Analysis | Transferable skill | 3.25 | 3.62 |
| Monitoring | Essential skill | 3.12 | 3.38 |
| Technology Design | Transferable skill | 3.12 | 3.38 |
| Time Management | Transferable skill | 3.12 | 3.12 |
| Instructing | Transferable skill | 3.00 | 3.75 |
| Mathematics | Essential skill | 3.00 | 3.50 |
| Persuasion | Transferable skill | 3.00 | 3.25 |
| Learning Strategies | Essential skill | 3.00 | 3.12 |
| Negotiation | Transferable skill | 3.00 | 3.12 |
| Service Orientation | Transferable skill | 3.00 | 3.12 |
| Operations Monitoring | Transferable skill | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Social Perceptiveness | Transferable skill | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Troubleshooting | Transferable skill | 2.88 | 3.62 |
| Operations Analysis | Transferable skill | 2.88 | 3.25 |
| Management of Personnel Resources | Transferable skill | 2.75 | 3.00 |
| Equipment Selection | Transferable skill | 2.62 | 2.75 |
| Operation and Control | Transferable skill | 2.62 | 2.38 |
| Management of Financial Resources | Transferable skill | 2.50 | 2.62 |
| Management of Material Resources | Transferable skill | 2.38 | 2.38 |
| Equipment Maintenance | Transferable skill | 2.25 | 2.00 |
| Repairing | Transferable skill | 2.12 | 1.88 |
| Science | Essential skill | 2.12 | 1.88 |
| Installation | Transferable skill | 1.75 | 1.50 |
Knowledge (33) and abilities (52)
| Name | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Computers and Electronics | 4.68 | 6.05 |
| Engineering and Technology | 4.25 | 5.00 |
| Telecommunications | 4.25 | 5.00 |
| English Language | 3.80 | 4.05 |
| Education and Training | 3.30 | 4.30 |
| Design | 3.20 | 3.85 |
| Customer and Personal Service | 3.15 | 4.35 |
| Mathematics | 3.05 | 3.70 |
| Public Safety and Security | 2.95 | 3.25 |
| Administration and Management | 2.79 | 4.10 |
| Law and Government | 2.70 | 2.74 |
| Communications and Media | 2.55 | 2.85 |
| Administrative | 2.30 | 3.10 |
| Production and Processing | 2.25 | 2.80 |
| Personnel and Human Resources | 2.10 | 2.60 |
| Mechanical | 1.95 | 2.35 |
| Geography | 1.95 | 2.25 |
| Economics and Accounting | 1.90 | 1.65 |
| Sales and Marketing | 1.80 | 1.90 |
| Sociology and Anthropology | 1.70 | 1.50 |
| Transportation | 1.70 | 1.10 |
| Building and Construction | 1.65 | 1.70 |
| Physics | 1.63 | 1.35 |
| Psychology | 1.60 | 1.35 |
| Chemistry | 1.45 | 1.30 |
| Foreign Language | 1.37 | 0.80 |
| History and Archeology | 1.35 | not rated |
| Philosophy and Theology | 1.30 | not rated |
| Therapy and Counseling | 1.21 | not rated |
| Biology | 1.15 | not rated |
| Medicine and Dentistry | 1.10 | not rated |
| Fine Arts | 1.05 | not rated |
| Food Production | 1.00 | not rated |
| Name | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Written Comprehension | 4.00 | 4.50 |
| Oral Comprehension | 4.00 | 4.38 |
| Deductive Reasoning | 4.00 | 4.12 |
| Information Ordering | 4.00 | 4.12 |
| Written Expression | 4.00 | 4.12 |
| Category Flexibility | 4.00 | 4.00 |
| Inductive Reasoning | 4.00 | 4.00 |
| Problem Sensitivity | 4.00 | 3.88 |
| Oral Expression | 3.75 | 4.12 |
| Near Vision | 3.75 | 3.88 |
| Speech Clarity | 3.50 | 3.12 |
| Speech Recognition | 3.25 | 2.88 |
| Fluency of Ideas | 3.12 | 3.88 |
| Flexibility of Closure | 3.12 | 3.12 |
| Originality | 3.00 | 3.62 |
| Mathematical Reasoning | 3.00 | 3.25 |
| Perceptual Speed | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Selective Attention | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Number Facility | 2.88 | 3.00 |
| Visualization | 2.75 | 3.12 |
| Visual Color Discrimination | 2.75 | 2.88 |
| Far Vision | 2.75 | 2.75 |
| Memorization | 2.62 | 2.75 |
| Time Sharing | 2.62 | 2.38 |
| Speed of Closure | 2.50 | 2.75 |
| Control Precision | 2.25 | 2.00 |
| Trunk Strength | 2.25 | 2.00 |
| Finger Dexterity | 2.12 | 2.00 |
| Hearing Sensitivity | 2.00 | 2.00 |
| Auditory Attention | 2.00 | 1.88 |
| Arm-Hand Steadiness | 2.00 | 1.75 |
| Manual Dexterity | 2.00 | 1.75 |
| Wrist-Finger Speed | 2.00 | 1.62 |
| Depth Perception | 2.00 | 1.50 |
| Extent Flexibility | 1.88 | 0.88 |
| Dynamic Strength | 1.25 | not rated |
| Rate Control | 1.25 | not rated |
| Reaction Time | 1.25 | not rated |
| Spatial Orientation | 1.12 | not rated |
| Dynamic Flexibility | 1.00 | not rated |
| Explosive Strength | 1.00 | not rated |
| Glare Sensitivity | 1.00 | not rated |
| Gross Body Coordination | 1.00 | not rated |
| Gross Body Equilibrium | 1.00 | not rated |
| Multilimb Coordination | 1.00 | not rated |
| Night Vision | 1.00 | not rated |
| Peripheral Vision | 1.00 | not rated |
| Response Orientation | 1.00 | not rated |
| Sound Localization | 1.00 | not rated |
| Speed of Limb Movement | 1.00 | not rated |
| Stamina | 1.00 | not rated |
| Static Strength | 1.00 | not rated |
Software used
Examples from O*NET data. "Hot" and "in demand" are O*NET flags for technologies often listed in job postings.
- Amazon Web Services AWS software in demand
- Ansible software in demand
- Border Gateway Protocol BGP in demand
- IBM Terraform in demand
- Linux in demand
- Microsoft Azure software in demand
- Microsoft Excel in demand
- Microsoft Office software in demand
- Microsoft PowerShell in demand
- Oracle Java in demand
- Python in demand
- Structured query language SQL in demand
- Firewall software in demand
- AJAX hot
- Adobe After Effects hot
- Amazon DynamoDB hot
- Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud EC2 hot
- Amazon Redshift hot
- Amazon Web Services AWS CloudFormation hot
- Apache Cassandra hot
- Apache Hadoop hot
- Apache Hive hot
- Apache Kafka hot
- Apache Maven hot
- Apache Spark hot
- Apache Subversion SVN hot
- Apache Tomcat hot
- Apple macOS hot
- Atlassian Confluence hot
- Atlassian JIRA hot
All 278
- Autodesk AutoCAD hot
- Autodesk Revit hot
- Bash hot
- C hot
- C# hot
- C++ hot
- Cascading style sheets CSS hot
- Chef hot
- Cisco Webex hot
- Dassault Systemes SolidWorks hot
- Django hot
- Docker hot
- ESRI ArcGIS software hot
- Eclipse IDE hot
- Elasticsearch hot
- Extensible markup language XML hot
- Git hot
- GitHub hot
- Go hot
- Google Android hot
- Google Angular hot
- Hibernate ORM hot
- Hypertext markup language HTML hot
- IBM WebSphere MQ hot
- JUnit hot
- JavaScript hot
- JavaScript Object Notation JSON hot
- Microsoft .NET Framework hot
- Microsoft ASP.NET hot
- Microsoft Access hot
- Microsoft Active Directory hot
- Microsoft Active Server Pages ASP hot
- Microsoft PowerPoint hot
- Microsoft Project hot
- Microsoft SQL Server hot
- Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services SSRS hot
- Microsoft SharePoint hot
- Microsoft Visio hot
- Microsoft Visual Basic hot
- Microsoft Visual Studio hot
- Microsoft Windows hot
- Microsoft Windows Server hot
- Microsoft Word hot
- MongoDB hot
- MySQL hot
- NoSQL hot
- Node.js hot
- Oracle Database hot
- Oracle PL/SQL hot
- PHP hot
- Perl hot
- PostgreSQL hot
- Puppet hot
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux hot
- Red Hat OpenShift hot
- Ruby hot
- SAP software hot
- Scala hot
- Selenium hot
- Shell script hot
- Splunk Enterprise hot
- Spring Boot hot
- Spring Framework hot
- Swift hot
- Tableau hot
- Teradata Database hot
- The MathWorks MATLAB hot
- Transact-SQL hot
- Trimble SketchUp Pro hot
- UNIX hot
- UNIX Shell hot
- jQuery hot
- Access management software
- Adobe ActionScript
- Advanced business application programming ABAP
- AirMagnet Enterprise
- Amazon Simple Storage Service S3
- Apache Ant
- Apache Groovy
- Apache HTTP Server
- Apache Pig
- Apache Solr
- Apache Struts
- Application management software
- Aruba Networks AirWave
- Asset management administration software
- Atlassian Bamboo
- Automated installation software
- Blink
- BroadSoft BroadWorks
- CA eTrust
- Capacity planning software
- Cisco IOS
- Cisco Systems Cisco Web Cache Communication Protocol WCCP
- Cisco Systems CiscoWorks
- Cisco Systems CiscoWorks LAN Management Solution
- Cisco Systems Gateway Load Balancing Protocol GLBP
- Cisco Systems Hot Standby Router Protocol HSRP
- Cisco Systems Wireless Control System WCS
- Citrix XenApp
- Citrix cloud computing software
- Common business oriented language COBOL
- Compaq Insight Manager
- Computer Associates ArcServ Backup
- Computer intrusion detection systems
- Content filter software
- Customer information control system CICS
- Dassault Systemes CATIA
- Diagramming software
- Discrete event simulation software
- Domain name system DNS
- Drupal
- Dynamic hypertext markup language DHTML
- Dynatrace
- EMC Smarts Network Protocol Manager
- Element management software
- Email management software
- Encryption software
- Enhanced Interior Gateway Routing Protocol EIGRP
- Enterprise JavaBeans
- Ethereal
- Ext JS
- Extensible hypertext markup language XHTML
- Help desk software
- Hewlett Packard HP-UX
- Hewlett Packard LoadRunner
- Human resource management software HRMS
- IBM AIX
- IBM Cognos Impromptu
- IBM Domino
- IBM InfoSphere DataStage
- IBM Notes
- IBM Power Systems software
- IBM WebSphere
- Infoblox NetMRI
- Infoblox security and networking software
- Integrated development environment IDE software
- Intermediate System to Intermediate System IS-IS
- Internet Protocol Security IPSEC
- Intrusion prevention system IPS
- Ipswitch WhatsUp Gold
- Job control language JCL
- KornShell
- LAMP Stack
- Local area network LAN software
- LogRhythm
- Logical partition LPAR software
- Lucent VitalSuite
- McAfee
- McAfee VirusScan
- Micro Focus OpenView
- MicroStrategy
- Microsoft ASP.NET Core MVC
- Microsoft ActiveX
- Microsoft Dynamics
- Microsoft Exchange
- Microsoft Forefront Identify Manager
- Microsoft Forefront Threat Management Gateway
- Microsoft Visual Basic Scripting Edition VBScript
- Minitab
- Multi-router traffic grapher MRTG software
- Multiprotocol Label Switching MPLS
- Nagios
- National Instruments LabVIEW
- NetIQ
- NetScout InfinitiStream Console
- Netreo OmniCenter
- Network and application load and performance testing software
- Network and component performance analysis software
- Network and system vulnerability assessment software
- Network architecture design software
- Network availability monitoring software
- Network bridge software
- Network documentation software
- Network intrusion detection software
- Network intrusion prevention systems NIPS
- Network modeling, mapping, and analysis software
- Network reporting software
- Network storage software
- Network traffic flow monitoring and analysis software
- Network traffic probe software
- Network, server and operating system optimization software
- NortonLifeLock cybersecurity software
- OPNET APMXpert
- Online traffic calculator software
- Open Shortest Path First OSPF
- Oracle Business Intelligence Enterprise Edition
- Oracle E-Business Suite Financials
- Oracle Fusion Applications
- Oracle Fusion Middleware
- Oracle JDBC
- Oracle Java Enterprise Edition EE
- Oracle JavaServer Pages JSP
- Oracle Solaris
- Oracle WebLogic Server
- Packet analysis software
- Packet filter software
- Packet tracing software
- Patch and update management software
- Penetration testing software
- Perforce Helix software
- Ping Identity
- Qlik Tech QlikView
- Quest Erwin Data Modeler
- Red Hat WildFly
- Relational database management software
- Remote access software
- Requirements management software
- Risk assessment software
- Riverbed Technology
- Root cause analysis software
- Ruby on Rails
- Security incident management software
- Segue SilkPerformer
- Session Initiation Protocol SIP
- Silver Peak
- Simple mail transfer protocol SMTP
- Simple network management protocol SNMP software
- Snort
- Software distribution software
- SolarWinds
- Storage area network SAN software
- Storage management software
- Supervisory control and data acquisition SCADA software
- Symantec Intruder Alert
- System and data disaster recovery software
- System testing software
- Systems and applications migration software
- Tcpdump
- Ticket information tracking software
- Time reporting software
- Transparent Interconnection of Lots of Links TRILL
- Ubuntu
- Unified modeling language UML
- VMware
- Verilog
- Veritas NetBackup
- Videoconferencing software
- Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol VRRP
- Virtual local area network management software
- Virtual private networking VPN software
- Virus scanning software
- Voice over internet protocol VoIP system software
- Web browser software
- Websense Data Loss Prevention
- Wide area network WAN optimization software
- Wide area network WAN software
- Wireshark
Where it concentrates
Metro areas ranked by BLS location quotient: the occupation's share of the area's jobs divided by its share of all US jobs. Above 1 means more concentrated than the nation. Metros employing fewer than 100 are left out.
| Metro area | Employment | Location quotient | Median annual |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boulder, CO | 2,000 | 9.00 | $156,360 |
| Colorado Springs, CO | 2,460 | 6.73 | $130,980 |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | 10,260 | 5.51 | $139,230 |
| Huntsville, AL | 1,660 | 5.40 | $132,410 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | 9,370 | 2.58 | $159,820 |
| Raleigh-Cary, NC | 2,190 | 2.55 | $120,640 |
| Durham-Chapel Hill, NC | 970 | 2.43 | $144,990 |
| Bloomington, IL | 240 | 2.32 | $161,780 |
| Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL | 640 | 2.27 | $110,590 |
| Greeley, CO | 310 | 2.23 | $125,560 |