Network Architect
What the work is
Designs, plans, implements and optimises network infrastructure. Develops and maintains network-related documentation, collaborates with clients to create network designs, evaluates network hardware and software for selection, and drives automation of network processes. May also engage in resolution of critical network incidents.
Would you enjoy the work?
These are the main tasks in the official description. Mark how each one sounds to you.
- Designs, plans, implements and optimises network architecture and infrastructure to align with business requirements and to meet specified operational parameters for capacity and performance
- Designs, reviews and implements network access and security technologies
- Considers network-related risks and specifies recovery routines and contingency procedures
- Develops and maintains network documentation, including network diagrams and capabilities
- Collaborates with clients to create network designs and test plans
- Evaluates and selects network hardware and software
- Drives automation of network-related processes
- May resolve critical network incidents
Try it
A simulation and a case study from this kind of work, set in the network team of a fictional school group that runs many campuses over shared connections. They are fictional.
The kind of days you could have
Good days
- A flaky connection that annoyed a whole campus finally behaves, and nobody has to think about it
- You map a mystery slowdown and prove which part of the network is to blame
- A planned change goes through overnight and nobody notices
Hard days
- An outage during exams, with every manager asking when it will be fixed
- Being blamed for a problem that is actually in somebody else's system
- Cabling in a hot ceiling space on a weekend, with a deadline on Monday
Written by Career Calling as a general guide. Real roles vary by employer and place.
Work a mission
Step into a simulated workplace in this field, with a brief from your manager.
Description and tasks: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Occupation Standard Classification for Australia, 2024, Version 1.0 (opens another site), occupation 272133, used under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. The skill guide above is our plain English summary.