The job market for network pros is picking up again. That’s the good news.
But before you dust off your resume and start listing every router you’ve ever touched — take a breath. Things have changed.
A few years ago, knowing your way around OSPF, stacking switches, maybe a CCNP — that could get you through the door. Now? It’s a little more… layered. Employers aren’t just looking for config monkeys anymore. They’re hunting for people who can actually connect dots — between infrastructure, cloud, automation, and security.
And that shift? It’s reshaping how hiring works across the board.
What Hiring Teams Are Really After
First thing: cloud. If you’ve touched AWS or Azure networking — even better if you’ve fought with a VPC route table and lived to tell the tale — you’re already standing out. It’s not about being a full-blown cloud architect. It’s about being able to work in hybrid territory without panicking.
Then comes automation. Python, Ansible, maybe Terraform — these aren’t “cool extras” anymore. Teams are leaner, deadlines tighter, and no one wants to watch you configure interfaces one by one.
Security? It’s everywhere. Especially zero trust — not just as a buzzword, but as a design pattern. If you understand segmentation, policy-based access, and identity-driven flows, you’re what they’d call “future-proof.”
And Certifications? Mixed Bag.
Yes, certs still help. CCNA, CCNP — they show you’ve got fundamentals. But a growing number of employers are just as curious about what you’ve *built* — lab setups, GitHub repos, maybe that half-broken Kubernetes cluster you wrestled into shape on a spare laptop.
Bonus points if you’ve got hands-on experience with cloud certs like:
– AWS Advanced Networking
– Azure Network Engineer
– CKA (if you’ve dealt with overlay networks)
– Terraform Associate
But again — no one’s hiring paper certs. They’re hiring engineers who can solve real-world stuff and adapt when the tools change. Because they *will* change.
Final Thought?
If you’re on the hiring side, stop looking for people who memorized command syntax. Look for the ones who troubleshoot weird issues in cloud forums at 2 a.m. and write scripts not because they love YAML — but because they hate repeating themselves.
And if you’re on the job-hunting side — focus on relevance. The industry isn’t asking you to be perfect. But it *is* asking you to stay current, be curious, and know why your network matters beyond just keeping the lights on.
Networking used to be about ports and cables. Now? It’s about context.