Network Administrator
Last updated · Confirm dates, fees and eligibility on the official website before you apply.
Keeps an organisation's network running - switches, routers, firewalls, access control and backups - and is who gets called when it stops. Vendor certifications such as CCNA weigh as heavily here as the qualification does.
- Route in
- Earliest entry: Certificate. Also entered at: Certificate, Diploma, Undergraduate. Direct entry. 4 courses lead here
- Entry pay
- ₹15,000 – ₹28,000 / monthly Any experience
- Where you work
- IT services companies, Corporate IT departments, Managed service providers, Data centres
How people get in
Getting in
Earliest entry point. Certificate level.
Other levels people enter from. Certificate, Diploma, Undergraduate.
Where people work
Outlook
IT services companies, Corporate IT departments, Managed service providers, Data centres.
Indicative starting salary
Understand the role
15,000 - 28,000 per month at entry level.
This is an indicative range, not a quote. Actual pay varies with employer, city, sector and the specific role.
The route in, step by step
6 steps from where you are now.
Class 12 with Mathematics, then BCA, B.Sc IT or a diploma Required
Three to four years. B.Tech also works and starts you higher.
Learn networking fundamentals Required
TCP/IP, subnetting, routing, switching, DNS, DHCP and VLANs. Subnetting by hand until it is automatic - it underpins everything else.
Get CCNA certified Required
The recognised entry standard for network roles in India, and what most job descriptions name explicitly.
Work on live networks Required
Configuration, monitoring, troubleshooting, firewalls and VPNs. You learn most during outages, which is an uncomfortable but reliable truth.
Advance the certification Required
CCNP, or cloud networking with AWS or Azure. Network security is the other high-demand direction.
Network engineer, security, or cloud architecture Optional
Senior network engineer, network security specialist, or cloud infrastructure architect.
Courses that lead here
4 mapped routes into this career.
What it pays
Indicative bands.
| Stage | Pay band | What changes |
|---|---|---|
| Any experience | ₹15,000 – ₹28,000 / monthly | Varies by employer |
These are ranges, not offers. Pay varies by city, employer size, sector and your own skill more than by job title. Treat the band as the shape of the market, not as a number you can hold anyone to.
Common questions
The ones people actually ask about this work.
What qualification do you need to become a Network Administrator?
The earliest entry point is certificate level. People also enter from: Certificate, Diploma, Undergraduate.
Where does a Network Administrator usually work?
IT services companies, Corporate IT departments, Managed service providers, Data centres.
What does a Network Administrator earn to start?
15,000 - 28,000 per month is a typical entry-level range. Pay varies with employer, city and sector.
Test this against your own priorities
Pay, hours and entry route matter differently to different people. Compare this against the alternative you are actually weighing, rather than against the average.