Network engineer interview questions test one thing more than any other, which is whether you can reason from how a protocol works to why a network is misbehaving. The Bureau of Labor Statistics files the job under one name, saying that "computer network architects, or network engineers, design and deploy computer and information networks." BLS projects that employment in that occupation will grow 8 percent from 2025 to 2035, with about 9,600 openings a year, and puts its median annual wage at $134,050 in May 2025.

The neighboring operations role is shrinking. BLS projects that employment of network and computer systems administrators will decline 4 percent over the same decade, though it still expects about 13,400 openings a year, all from the need to replace workers who transfer to other occupations or exit the labor force. Administrators earned a median of $99,130 in May 2025.…