Database Administrator to Network Engineer

Summary: 1 of the 6 core skills listed for Network Engineer carry over directly from Database Administrator, and 1 more build on related experience. The US median salary changes by +0% ($100K → $100K). Difficulty: Challenging, typically around 9 months of focused upskilling.

The two roles

Database Administrator: Manage and maintain database systems for organizations.

Network Engineer: Design and maintain computer networks and communications systems. Growth outlook +5%; AI-augmented (AI changes how the work is done, not whether it exists). Typical education: bachelor. Typical experience: 2-4 years.

Skills that carry over

• Security

Builds on related experience

• Firewalls — builds on Security

Skills to learn for Network Engineer

• Networking
• Cisco
• VPN
• Troubleshooting

Salary comparison (median, estimated)

Salary figures are estimates benchmarked against public compensation data — see methodology.

Next steps

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Related

Database Administrator career guide | Network Engineer career guide

Other transitions to consider

• Database Administrator to Data Engineer — 5 of the core skills carry over
• Database Administrator to Data Architect — 6 of the core skills carry over
• Database Administrator to Cloud Engineer — 6 of the core skills carry over
• Database Administrator to Backend Developer — 2 of the core skills carry over
• System Administrator to Network Engineer — 5 of the core skills carry over
• Cloud Engineer to Network Engineer — 5 of the core skills carry over
• Healthcare IT Specialist to Network Engineer — 5 of the core skills carry over
• Help Desk/IT Support Technician to Network Engineer — 5 of the core skills carry over