Computer Network Architects
Design and implement computer and information networks, such as local area networks, wide area networks, intranets, extranets, and other data communications networks.
Computer Network Architects design and implement computer and information networks, such as local area networks, wide area networks, intranets, extranets, and other data communications networks. The role reports a median annual salary of $130,390 in the US with the middle 80% earning between $76,640 and $189,520 and is projected to grow 12% over the next decade (faster than average). Entry typically requires a Bachelor's degree, and shows moderate AI exposure (0.54 on a 0-1 scale) — some tasks are being automated but the role adapts. The most in-demand skills for the role include Critical Thinking, Systems Analysis, Active Learning, Complex Problem Solving, Systems Evaluation.
Salary distribution (US)
Real salary data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The p10–p90 spread tells you more than the median alone.
Pay in the UK
UK: median £48,907 a year for IT network professionals (ONS ASHE 2025, full-time)
Middle half of full-time jobs: £40,104 to £66,230 a year
UK jobs are grouped differently; this is the closest UK occupation group (ONS SOC 2020 2137). ONS rates this estimate reasonably precise. 2025 provisional figures; ONS revises them a year later. Source: ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (Open Government Licence)
Pay in India (occupation group)
Average monthly earnings of salaried employees in the occupation group “Professionals” in India, from the Government of India's Periodic Labour Force Survey (January–December 2025). It covers everyone in this group, not only Computer Network Architects, and it is not US pay converted to rupees.
Source: MoSPI (Government of India), Periodic Labour Force Survey Annual Report 2025, Table 51 — average wage/salary earnings of regular wage/salaried employees, NCO-2015 division 2. Official India data gives one average per occupation group: there are no official India figures for single careers, experience levels or cities. Read the report
How to get here in India
No single fixed route is listed for this career. These Indian degrees lead to it, according to the US CIP–SOC education-to-occupation crosswalk; open a degree for its entrance exams and colleges.[1]
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Computer Applications (BCA) — BCA (three years, or four years for BCA Honours / with Research)
Entrance exams: CUET-UG, IPU CET
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Computer Engineering — B.E. / B.Tech in Computer Engineering (four years)
Entrance exams: JEE Main, JEE Advanced, MHT CET, GUJCET, BITSAT, COMEDK UGET
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Cybersecurity — B.Tech in CSE (Cyber Security) (four years)
Entrance exams: JEE Main, MHT CET, KCET, CUET-UG
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Information Technology — B.Tech / B.E. in Information Technology (four years)
Entrance exams: JEE Main, JEE Advanced, MHT CET, WBJEE, KCET, CUET-UG
Rules change: check the exam body's and regulator's current notice before you apply.
- CIP 2020 – SOC 2018 crosswalk (NCES / BLS) (read on 2026-09-27)
2 open listings on our jobs board → Recent listings whose job title matches this career. Some jobs in this career are advertised under other titles.
Top skills
Knowledge you'll build
- Computers and Electronics
- Telecommunications
- Engineering and Technology
- English Language
- Design
- Mathematics
- Administration and Management
- Customer and Personal Service
A day in the life
You kick off the morning reviewing network traffic analytics and capacity-planning dashboards, looking for congestion patterns or growth trends that signal it is time to scale infrastructure. Your day involves designing topology diagrams in Visio or Lucidchart, evaluating vendor proposals for switches, routers, and firewalls, and working closely with security teams to ensure every design meets compliance requirements. You attend architecture review boards, present migration plans for moving legacy networks to SD-WAN or cloud-based solutions, and occasionally troubleshoot complex routing issues escalated by operations. The work is rewarding when a new network design goes live without a hitch, but high-stakes because a single misconfiguration can take an entire organization offline.
Illustrative: one typical day. Real days vary by employer and seniority.
What you'd actually do
- Develop disaster recovery plans.
- Develop or recommend network security measures, such as firewalls, network security audits, or automated security probes.
- Develop and implement solutions for network problems.
- Maintain networks by performing activities such as file addition, deletion, or backup.
- Coordinate network operations, maintenance, repairs, or upgrades.
- Coordinate installation of new equipment.
Tools & technology you'd use
Frequently asked questions
What does Computer Network Architects do?
Design and implement computer and information networks, such as local area networks, wide area networks, intranets, extranets, and other data communications networks.
What does a typical day look like in Computer Network Architects?
You kick off the morning reviewing network traffic analytics and capacity-planning dashboards, looking for congestion patterns or growth trends that signal it is time to scale infrastructure. Your day involves designing topology diagrams in Visio or Lucidchart, evaluating vendor proposals for switches, routers, and firewalls, and working closely with security teams to ensure every design meets compliance requirements.
How much does Computer Network Architects earn?
The median annual salary for Computer Network Architects in the US is $130,390. The middle 80% of workers earn between $76,640 and $189,520 annually. Entry-to-mid-career earners typically fall between $100,000 and $158,010.
What is the job outlook for Computer Network Architects?
The role is projected to grow 12% over the next decade (faster than average). Current US employment is approximately 179,200 workers.
How do I become computer network architects?
The typical entry education is a Bachelor's degree. Building a foundation in the top skills below will strengthen your application.
What skills does Computer Network Architects need?
The most in-demand skills for this role include Critical Thinking, Systems Analysis, Active Learning, Complex Problem Solving, Systems Evaluation, Judgment and Decision Making. These are the skills O*NET identifies as most important for competent performance.
Will AI replace Computer Network Architects?
Our AI-durability model gives Computer Network Architects a score of 0.54 on a 0-1 scale (higher = more exposure). That places it at moderate AI exposure — some tasks are being automated but the role adapts. Learning to work with AI tools rather than against them is the path forward.
How hard is it to enter this field?
Computer Network Architects has moderate barrier to entry — moderately gated — a bachelor's degree or equivalent training is typically required.