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Network Support Specialist

$73,340
median pay per year
full range coming in the next data update

What the job actually is

Troubleshoot and maintain computer networks, test connections, and help users with connectivity problems.

Where you work

Offices and data centers, some remote

The hours

Full-time, on-call for outages

By the numbers

May 2024–25 BLS wage data · 2024–34 BLS employment projections.

Median pay
$73,340
per year
What most earn
range coming soon
Openings a year
~9,600
projected, 2024–34
Outlook to 2034
+2%
About average
Working in the U.S.
152,700
people, nationwide

Openings a year counts new jobs plus the ones that open when people retire or move on — a truer picture of your odds than growth alone.

“Median” means half earn more and half earn less. Your city, employer, and years on the job move it a lot — that is what the 10th-to-90th range shows.

How you get in

Typical starting education

Associate degree

Training path: Associate's degree.

License or certification

No license required; certifications like CompTIA Network+ or Cisco CCNA help.

You can earn while you train. This field has a genuinely paid pathway in — an apprenticeship, a paid academy, or employer-funded training — so you draw a paycheck instead of taking on debt to learn it.

What it takes

Networking basicsTroubleshootingCustomer supportDocumentation

The honest take

Keeps an organization's networks running — a solid tech job you can enter with a two-year degree and certifications.

Standard Occupational Classification 15-1231. Pay, employment, and outlook from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS wage survey and 2024–34 employment projections). See something off? Tell us.