Network Administrator Career Training Path

Are you interested in pursuing a career as a network administrator? Are you ready to sign your name on that enrollment form for college, but now you are second guessing whether this is really the best career path for you? Are you slightly concerned that this occupation will not allow you to fulfill your professional goals that are so important to you? If you said yes to each of these relevant questions then you are moving in a great direction. The fact that you have made doing some research about your chosen career path your first step is a great sign that attests to your potential success! Continue reading to learn just what you need to know so that you can make the most informed decision possible.

First of all, let's look at what a network administrator spends a work day doing and what you may be responsible for in this professional capacity. It is important to note that while every network administrator may indeed have the same title; it is quite unlikely that your specific job description will be identical. However, in a loose description of a network administrator you can likely expect to be responsible for supporting a company's network through software applications and hardware components. As for the difference in one network administrator's job role from another, one individual may be expected to work in a behind the scenes type capacity, while another individual may be expected to work in a more hands on manner at an interactive workstation.

While it is not a necessity, it is also quite common for network administrators to have an area of specialty. For instance, you may choose to focus your work efforts in an area of network design, server connectivity, network security, server implementation, and firewalls and routers. Regardless of which of these specific positions you decide to work within, you can expect to spend the majority of your time working in a situation with numerous computers that are interconnected and that rely on one another. You'll need to find the proper training to be successful in this field. We recommend looking into schools that offer network administration degree programs that specifically cater to computer professionals.

In addition to keeping a company's network functioning at a maximum level, as a network administrator you may also be responsible for maintaining a company's email accounts, maintaining and backing up a server, protecting the server from outside threats such as hackers, viruses, or malware, and maintaining the access for many different users. In your role as a network administrator you will also be responsible for taking care of the many servers, gateways, private network connections, computers, FTP servers, internet connections, and printers that will exist on a network.

While you may not initially think that it is your responsibility to take care of any legal aspects that are related to a company's network, you are wrong. Your employer will likely expect you to ensure that all components of the company's network exist under the proper rules and regulations and that each of the employees are appropriately adhering to these regulations.