How to Become a Network Engineer With No Experience: A 12-Month Plan

Plenty of people move into networking without ever having worked in IT. They come from retail, trucking, nursing, restaurants, the military and warehouse jobs. Some are 22 and some are 52. What they have in common is a plan and a lot of hands-on practice.

There is no secret shortcut, but there is a reliable path. This is the 12-month plan we recommend for adults in the US starting from zero while holding down a job.

First, be realistic about the first job

Most people do not go straight from no experience to “network engineer.” The usual sequence looks like this:

1. IT support or help desk (often 6 to 18 months)
2. Network support, NOC technician or field network technician
3. Network administrator or junior network engineer
4. Network engineer, then senior or specialist roles in security, cloud or automation

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, computer user support specialists earned a median of $61,860 in May 2025, network support specialists $76,220, and network and computer systems administrators $99,130. Each step is a meaningful raise, and each step is much easier to reach once you are already inside an IT department.

The goal of the next 12 months is to get you into step 1 or step 2 with the skills and certifications to keep moving.

Months 1 to 3: foundations and your first certification

Goal: understand how computers and networks work, and pass your first certification.

If you have never worked in IT, start with CompTIA A+ or CompTIA Network+:

• Choose A+ if you are aiming at help desk jobs first. It covers hardware, operating systems, troubleshooting and support. It requires two exams.
• Choose Network+ if you already feel comfortable with computers and know you want networking. It covers the vendor-neutral networking concepts you will build on.

Study 8 to 10 hours a week. Mix reading or video lessons with hands-on practice, and take practice exams from week 6 onward.

At the same time, start getting comfortable with the tools you will use every day:

• The command prompt or PowerShell on Windows (ipconfig, ping, tracert, nslookup)
• The basics of a Linux terminal
• How your own home network works: your router’s settings, your IP address, your DNS server

Months 4 to 8: the CCNA

Goal: pass the CCNA and become comfortable on the Cisco command line.

This is the heart of the plan. The CCNA is the certification that tells employers you can work on a network, not just talk about one. Plan for 120 to 200 hours of study.

Structure your CCNA months roughly like this:

• Month 4: IP addressing and subnetting until it is automatic. Practice until you can subnet a /27 in your head in under 30 seconds.
• Month 5: switching. VLANs, trunks, spanning tree, EtherChannel and port security.
• Month 6: routing. The routing table, static routes and OSPF.
• Month 7: services and security. DHCP, DNS, NAT, ACLs, SSH and wireless basics.
• Month 8: review, automation and AI basics, timed practice exams, then book the test.

Lab every week, no exceptions. Use Packet Tracer, a browser-based lab or a couple of used Cisco switches from an online marketplace. For every topic, build it, verify it with show commands, break it on purpose and fix it. Interviewers can tell within five minutes who has actually typed the commands.

Note that the CCNA exam changes to version 2.0 on February 3, 2027. If you are starting this fall, study for v2.0 from day one. Our article on CCNA v2.0 changes explains why.

Months 6 to 12: get hired while you study

Do not wait until you pass the CCNA to start applying. Once your first certification is done, start applying to help desk and IT support roles while you study.

Where to look:

• Managed service providers (MSPs). They support dozens of small businesses and hire entry-level technicians often. You will see more variety in one year at an MSP than in three years elsewhere.
• Hospitals and health systems. Every hospital runs a large network and a busy help desk.
• School districts, community colleges and universities. They post jobs on their own websites more often than on large job boards.
• City, county and state government. Search your state’s job portal. Pay is steady and benefits are strong.
• Internet providers and telecom companies. They hire field technicians and NOC staff.
• Federal contractors. If you are near Washington DC, Northern Virginia, Maryland or a large military base, add Security+ to your plan. Under DoD 8140 rules it is required for many technical positions.

How to stand out with no experience:

• Put your lab work on your resume. A section called “Home Lab” or “Projects” that says you built a multi-VLAN network with OSPF, DHCP and ACLs is far better than an empty experience section.
• Write about what you learn. A simple GitHub repository or blog with your lab configurations and notes shows initiative.
• Translate your past job. Retail and restaurant workers handled pressure and customers. Military members followed procedures under stress. Nurses worked with critical systems where downtime was not an option. Say so.
• Show up locally. Many US cities have networking meetups, IT user groups or local chapters of professional associations. A handshake at a meetup gets more callbacks than 100 online applications.

What it costs

Here is a realistic US budget for this plan:

• Network+ exam: around $400 at CompTIA’s list price
• CCNA exam: $300
• Study materials and practice tests: $0 to $300 if you self-study
• Optional: used lab equipment, $100 to $300
• Optional: structured training with an instructor

Look for funding before you pay out of pocket. Many states fund IT training through WIOA programs at your local American Job Center. Veterans can use the GI Bill for training and for certification exam fees. If you already have a job, ask whether your employer offers tuition assistance; employers can provide up to $5,250 a year tax-free under Section 127.

Common mistakes we see

• Collecting certifications without lab time. Three certifications and no hands-on skill will not survive a technical interview.
• Skipping subnetting. It shows up in every networking interview. Master it early.
• Waiting for the perfect job. Your first IT job is a stepping stone. Take the help desk role, then move up from the inside.
• Studying alone with no deadline. Book your exam date as soon as you start a study block. A date on the calendar changes how you study.

Twelve months from now

If you follow this plan, a year from now you can realistically have Network+ or A+, a CCNA, a home lab you can talk about with confidence, and either an IT job or several interviews in progress. From there, the path to network engineer is about experience and continuing to learn, especially security and automation.

If you would like structure and a group to study with, our CCNA course starts from zero, runs in the evening in US time zones and includes a browser lab for every lecture, so you can practice without buying equipment. Not sure which certification to start with? Read CCNA vs Network+.