Computer Network Support Specialists
US occupation · SOC 15-1231
Job titles people report: Computer Network Specialist, IT Consultant (Information Technology Consultant), Network Specialist, Network Support Specialist, Network Technical Analyst, Network Technician, Personal Computer Network Analyst, Systems Specialist
Pay and outlook
- Median annual wage, May 2025
- $76,220
- Half earn more, half earn less
- Middle half earn
- $58,240 – $98,750
- 25th to 75th percentile
- People employed, May 2025
- 146,190
- Wage and salary jobs (OEWS)
- Projected change, 2025–35
- +1.2%
- Growing slower than all jobs (0% to under 3.5%)
- Openings a year (projected)
- 9,000
- New jobs plus replacing people who leave
- Typical education to enter
- Associate's degree
- BLS
- All figures are for the United States as a whole. Pay varies a lot by state and city.
- Wages are for everyone working in the occupation in May 2025, at every career stage. They are not starting salaries or figures for new graduates.
- Growth and openings are BLS projections for 2025–35. They are estimates, not promises. Openings include jobs that open up when people retire or change occupation, not just new jobs.
What the work involves
Analyze, test, troubleshoot, and evaluate existing network systems, such as local area networks (LAN), wide area networks (WAN), cloud networks, servers, and other data communications networks. Perform network maintenance to ensure networks operate correctly with minimal interruption.
Main tasks
- Back up network data.
- Configure security settings or access permissions for groups or individuals.
- Analyze and report computer network security breaches or attempted breaches.
- Identify the causes of networking problems, using diagnostic testing software and equipment.
- Document network support activities.
- Configure wide area network (WAN) or local area network (LAN) routers or related equipment.
- Install network software, including security or firewall software.
- Troubleshoot network or connectivity problems for users or user groups.
Description and tasks from the O*NET® 31.0 Database.
Getting in
- Typical education to enter (BLS)
- Associate's degree
- Training once hired: moderate-term on-the-job training
- O*NET Job Zone 4
- Considerable preparation
- Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
Interests it suits
The strongest of the six O*NET interest types for this occupation, highest first. The short glosses are ours.
- Conventional: organising information, records and procedures
- Investigative: research, analysis and solving problems with ideas
- Realistic: hands-on work with tools, machines, plants or animals
Fields of study that lead here
From the federal CIP–SOC crosswalk, which links 9 programmes to this occupation. A link means the programme prepares people for this kind of work. It doesn't mean the programme is required, or that it's the only route.
Computer Science
- Computer Programming/Programmer, General
- Computer Systems Analysis/Analyst
- Computer Science
- Computer Systems Networking and Telecommunications
- Cloud Computing
- Network and System Administration/Administrator
- System, Networking, and LAN/WAN Management/Manager
- Computer and Information Systems Security/Auditing/Information Assurance
1 more programmes
- Computer Support Specialist
Find colleges that fit you with our matcher: choose Computer Science at the Major step.
Where many students take computer science
- Western Governors UniversitySalt Lake City, UT · 23% of degrees · 155,088 undergraduates
- Southern New Hampshire UniversityManchester, NH · 14% of degrees · 163,164 undergraduates
- University of Maryland Global CampusAdelphi, MD · 25% of degrees · 49,664 undergraduates
- University of Maryland-College ParkCollege Park, MD · 25% of degrees · 30,760 undergraduates
- University of the PeoplePasadena, CA · 33% of degrees · 22,688 undergraduates
- University of California-BerkeleyBerkeley, CA · 19% of degrees · 33,068 undergraduates
Ordered by the field's share of degrees awarded times undergraduate enrolment (College Scorecard), among colleges with at least 1,000 undergraduates. Online universities are included. It's a rough measure of how big the programme is. It says nothing about quality. The share counts every programme in the field, not only the ones linked to this career.
Related careers
Related occupations from the O*NET database, in its order.
- Computer Network Architects
$134,050 median · +7.7% projected
- Network and Computer Systems Administrators
$99,130 median · -4.1% projected
- Computer User Support Specialists
$61,860 median · -3.5% projected
- Information Security Analysts
$129,180 median · +21% projected
- Computer Systems Analysts
$105,850 median · +7.9% projected
- Database Administrators
$104,620 median · -0.1% projected
Sources
This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. CollegeMatcher has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. O*NET 31.0 Database · CC BY 4.0
Changes: we show the core tasks in the O*NET database with the highest importance ratings (up to eight, in that order), the top three O*NET interest types by score, and shortened Job Zone names. Titles, descriptions and task text are unchanged.
Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Projections, typical entry education and training: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–35. Fields of study: NCES and BLS CIP 2020–SOC 2018 Crosswalk. All public domain. OEWS · Employment Projections · CIP–SOC crosswalk