Careers
Roadmap: from junior to senior network engineer in 5 years
TechLeague Editorial··8 min read
Senior is not just years served — it's a stack of skills, scars and shipped projects. Here's a 5-year roadmap that actually works.
Year 1 — Foundations
- CCNA, basic Linux, BGP/OSPF labs.
- First on-call rotation, ticket triage.
Year 2 — Depth
- CCNP ENCOR, Python automation basics.
- Lead a small migration.
Year 3 — Specialize
- Choose: Security (CCNP SCOR/PCNSE), DC (EVPN), Cloud (AWS ANS).
- Mentor a junior.
Year 4 — Scale
- Design end-to-end change for a regional rollout.
- Speak at internal tech talks.
Year 5 — Senior
- Architect cross-team initiatives.
- Public proof: blog, conference talk, league ranking.
Train under pressure in a TechLeague tournament.