Guide To Become a Freelance Network Engineer

Network Engineering is one of the most important careers in the world today. With the internet

determining how the world does business and even keeps in touch and with the advent of newer

websites every day the need for network engineers’ only increases. Whether you are a fulltime

employee, looking to earn a few extra bucks by the side, or you are a self-employed engineer, simply

trying to get your business up and running, there is much scope in freelance network engineer. You can

opt for freelance for many different reasons. Extra income, work from home, be able to take on multiple

tasks, independence; the list continues. Whatever your preferences, you can be assured that freelance

network engineering is a career that will give you a comfortable life, and a low stress working

environment like your home.

Job Duties:

Your duties as a freelance network engineer will include taking care of the network, testing the server,

maintaining network peace, fixing network hell. Let’s have a look at other duties, so that your work

doesn’t sound like you’re a digital mishmash of sorts. Some of the duties that will fall under your

purview, as a freelance Network Engineer:

Establishing networking environment by designing system configuration, directing system

installation, defining, documenting, and enforcing system standards;

The design and implementation of new solutions and improving resilience of the current

environment;

Maximizing network performance by monitoring performance, troubleshooting network

problems and outages, scheduling upgrades and collaborating with network architects on

network optimisation;

Undertaking data network fault investigations in local and wide area environments, using

information from multiple sources;

Securing network system by establishing and enforcing policies, and defining and monitoring

access;

The support and administration of firewall environments in line with IT security policy;

Updating job knowledge by participating in educational opportunities, reading professional

publications, maintaining personal networks and participating in professional organisations;

Reporting network operational status by gathering, prioritising information and managing

projects;

Upgrading data network equipment to latest stable firmware releases;

Configuration of routing and switching equipment;

Configuration of hosted IP voice services;

Basic configuration of firewalls;

Remote support of on-site engineers and end users/customers during installation;

Remote troubleshooting and fault finding if issues occur upon initial installation;

Capacity management and audit of IP addressing and hosted devices within data centres;

Liaising with project management team, 3rd line engineers and service desk engineers on a

regular basis;

Speaking with customers via email and phone for initial requirement capture.

While regular office hours are the norm, when you are working remotely, you may have to work long

days and even some weekends close to project deadlines. Overnight and weekend stays may be

required for network tests. Network engineers can be on call 24 hours a day.

Skills :

To be a good network engineer, you must master certain skills. You should be able to determine,

enforce, and even monitor the network. You will design and set up rules of engagement, but the job role

will often demand more from you than an implementation and design process. You need to develop

some of these skills to do well; some of them include:

Mathematical skills

Complex Problem Solving

Critical Thinking

Scientific Skills

Decision Making

Operations Research

Operations Analysis

Co-ordination

Active Learning

Self-motivated

Able to work remotely

Systems Analysis

Quality control

Deductive Reasoning

Networking skills

Understanding of Network models

Equipment selection

Social Perceptiveness

Working with all materials

Many websites will help you develop the above-mentioned skills. However, you must remember that

Network Engineering is a graduate level course, often requiring four years of intensive study. Education

Portal, The Network Engineer, Computer Training School and Study2U offer many options to

supplement your learning online, either in course or self training video formats.

Being Successful as a Freelance Network Engineer :

More often than not, talent is not a determinant of success in any sphere. It is possibly truer for

engineers, with the freelance market insisting that talent combined with the relevant experience

attracts generous prospective employers. Hence, to be successful initially, you could:

Offer to do projects for minimum fees, sometimes for free

Bid the lowest for a project on freelancer portals

Get good testimonials for guest blogs, recommendations for work

Start a blog, back link it to more visible blogs

Create a website, or at the very least, a web page

Advertise your services on social media platforms

Understand the engineering requirement intimately

Sharpen your Communication skills, as it would help you get more jobs

Master Engineering Basics

Average Remunerations

Most of the revenue generated by you will depend solely on your ability to market your services and

your credibility with previous employees. Usually freelance portals offer various kinds of payment

models. In the fixed-price model, the price is usually pre-determined. The hourly model is the most

popular and employers usually pay a predetermined sum per hour. Finally, in the project-budget based

model, you often need to auction for such projects. Usually a fixed price model may range from $20-

$200 and upwards, while you have to pitch for hourly projects, and budget payments, which usually

range from $5- $35 an hour, with average payments at $22 per hour.

Finding Work:

Many websites, forums, and portals offer hundreds of jobs to freelance network engineer like you.

Elance, Odesk, Peopleperhour and Guru offer many opportunities to freelance network engineers

around the globe.

Resources:

Many websites will help you develop the above-mentioned skills. However, you must remember that

Network Engineering is a graduate level course, often requiring four years of intensive study. Education

Portal, The Network Engineer, Computer Training School and Study2U offer many options to

supplement your learning online, either in course or self training video formats.

For more information on Freelance Network Engineer please visit www.careerlancer.net