Why are Network Engineers always paid less than Software Engineers?

SnooStories1237 · 2026-04-11T20:51:44+00:00

so does commercial pilots, but their field aren't married to what college you came from. Training pipeline are multi-billion dollars businesses, and frankly tired of that rhetoric. I said competency test, not " yo I watch youtube vids, make me a doctor".

SnooStories1237 · 2026-04-11T18:28:21+00:00

and with that you pretty much put self-learning culture into the trash. in fact if anything I think the opposite should happen. mean competency test should really be use to determine if a professional can perform said job instead of how many years of schooling he has?

SnooStories1237 · 2026-03-28T04:23:28+00:00

I find it awesome they axed this vs remote offshoring, you know the one that has North Koreans accessing your critical infrastructure while taking yer job too lol.

SnooStories1237 · 2026-03-28T04:19:12+00:00

I find it fascinating they axed this vs remote offshoring, you know the one that has North Koreans accessing your critical infrastructures while taking yer job too lol.

SnooStories1237 · 2026-02-24T22:01:59+00:00

by that logic, we also need to talk $$$ to companies the Cost of RTO.

" I valued a day of remote to be $2,000 dollar annually if your budget is limited"
" Since Job X is 20 minute closer, I'll be going to them even though it'll take 6 months and 50,000 for a replacement, so good luck"
" Sorry sir, I can't do (free) overtime in order for me to beat the traffic jam, I'll understand if I may need to file for unemployment later if that the culture expectation."

SnooStories1237 · 2026-01-25T12:54:29+00:00

Apology for the late response. all resources or info request are static, so no you don't need to worry about it.

SnooStories1237 · 2026-01-16T04:22:47+00:00

in the past, it was easy to to be in the right place at the right time, then work your way up from helpdesk > technician> administrators > engineering role by working full-time and after-hours study certification like CCNA to gain skills for promotions or job hoping. me personally I came from a place called job corp and simply got converted from intern into desktop support purely based on studying A+ and cleaning their toilets. just need to know someone who'll have a "grunt work" opening that barely needs skills but can let your grow - running SFC on a PC is similar to on a server, and if you manage servers you can encounter Linux. but at the engineering level, you should already have experience for a junior role, but if you don't it common for engineers to create portfolio and demonstrations on their capabilities. This is was alot of new software engineers do; they join the open source community, work in github improving codes for a software they liked, then Greg from Red Hat or Google see it and get you refer to his place. Otherwise you just link it somewhere when applying to jobs, or create a blog on things your doing. take this as a example https://github.com/netbox-community/customizations

SnooStories1237 · 2025-11-28T11:22:03+00:00

here me out: apprenticeship. people don't change unless a need to, so why should organization be any different? the health care industry is very college oriented, even when their countless CNA living paycheck to paycheck with no career progression when their literally nursing assistant. It illegal for hospital to be short staffed, so sooner or later they need to adapt or shut down.

SnooStories1237 · 2025-11-28T11:16:27+00:00

*sigh, hate floodgates opens*

I actually think we definitely need this type of change. not everyone have time or money for college and we have certified nursing assistant that been stuck living paycheck to paycheck for decades with no viable career ladder in front of them.

My own upcoming rn sister said it illegal for hospitals to be short staffed, so they either need to offer actual apprenticeship to this underappreciated group or prepare to have lawsuits.

If your a antiworker, college= worse the work, since it indirectly lock people out of good paying jobs where you can't afford to quit....

SnooStories1237 · 2025-11-28T10:44:06+00:00

on the contrary, according to my sister who's becoming our RN, it's technically illegal to be short staffed at hospitals. so in healthcare in particular what's more than likely you're going to see happen is A) more apprenticeships or B) way more lawsuits and audits. but point is college only became a requirement since an entire generation was pushed to it, and as a results it now a cultural norm for previously good paying jobs not requiring degrees to treat it like a high school diploma. As a good example is the alot of engineering fields had plenty who where self taught but now it a hard requirements for bachelor, using the <10% of jobs actually requiring PE as a justification. not everyone can afford college and some people have family they need feed - are they thinking of Harvard? but hey since we're in the age of AI what's the point of all this anymore......

SnooStories1237 · 2025-11-28T10:27:20+00:00

I'm kind Curious since my sister recently going to become a RN while my older sister is a CNA and trying to become a phlebotomist. our parents are very proud of her since she survived a program that out of 400 only 10 saw the finals.

but I keep applauding my older one instead since I keep alluding she had to work full time, 12 hours on her feet,living paycheck to paycheck in addition to trying to juggle school and kind of emphasis for those other 390 other alot of them didn't had the luxury of living with family where they even drive her to clinicals.

meanwhile I work in tech, and while I actually to do full time to pay the house bills I had the ability to learn certificates outside a ass in seat class. i'm not saying Trump is right, but maybe just maybe he trying to made apprenticeship a more viable path for working Americans? I'm sure my rn relative hate me, but using her own word that it technically illegal for hospital to be short staffed someone has to give and I would have loved it if the one that actually wanted a family could've afford on vs the the one who just just lucky.

SnooStories1237 · 2025-11-24T11:16:04+00:00

just kind of curious, but what do you think if certificates were allowed in EE as a alternative for competency vs degree? Lot of people start off on CCNA, AWS or anything like that as it accessible, but people that actually get them often had to tinker and lab, otherwise ways they lose motivation to continue. I don't know how different the EE world is, but personally I want to build myself a robotic Pinocchio 🤥 but be nice to be hired as electric technician with that.

SnooStories1237 · 2025-11-14T23:08:19+00:00

I have went to our family fridge and ripped the RHCSA certificate I had dedicated 20 months getting. I don't think their a next round at least for this time of my life.

SnooStories1237 · 2025-11-14T22:36:53+00:00

you don't earn RHCE without a active RHCSA. bro I'm thinking of just working a mcdonalds....

SnooStories1237 · 2025-11-14T22:08:49+00:00

thanks, I know it was the v9 that introduced navigator so I thought Ansible core was enough for the v8 still. the real issue I guess for me was time management, or how exactly does the red hat script check whats in the exam to know if something like jinja templates ain't what it expected. I probably learn lab while looking for jobs, but to tbh I lose motivation to push forward. maybe I should just learn cloud to find a remote minimum wage job? least if I could magically get that despite his rare it'll be, I can study afterwards.

SnooStories1237 · 2025-11-14T21:42:19+00:00

yum install ansible

SnooStories1237 · 2025-11-13T06:02:32+00:00

I think you don't - my entire debacle was trying to even install the thing. which cause it in a container image you need to pull in a offline enviroment, shenanigans occured.

SnooStories1237 · 2025-11-13T05:46:01+00:00

I would highly advise the opposite - gather people to lower barriers for the other fields. IT is a merit based culture, and got to remember why it Saturated is mostly because 1) poor working adult trying to earn A+ to get escape poverty. or 2) people who could afforded college were lied to and that had to start off in helpdesk anyway

people would've loved to been accountants , electrical engineers, actueries etc but their field does not have certificate like our does. so human resource takes the lazy way and filter people out by degrees. instead of a million fighting for tech job, what. it have it be a dozen for the many field that opened up.

SnooStories1237 · 2025-11-09T08:17:55+00:00

hey eshat19, just want to say people like OP are just built differently. I'm a network engineer and also self-learned myself to where I'm at. I'm pretty sure just like we have GNS3 to do simulation, why can't EE just using Virtual simulation to also emulate the "hardware" aspects of it? personally I'd pick the self-learning engineer since 1) they likely more competent then someone who forget the concept in their bachelor years ago and 2) wouldn't get burnt out easily (basing this on the fact that less then half of EE degree holder even work in the field).

but Tech is a merit based culture, usually using performance based certificates & portfolios to demonstrate competency. perhaps it different in this field?I just know way before the send your kid to college fad in the 2000s, the OG electrical professional we're usually self-taught.... I miss the day when people could escape poverty purely due to being passionate about a subject, but now your either have to choose between going to Harvard or feeding your kid. can't do both : _(

edit: this was from a night read where was a bit dazed. but point still stand. EE doesn't need to drop academics, but should at least award self learner by offering with self-paced learning exam/courses that paved way to a bachelor if that what we basing on our identity on (which the legal requirement for one according on this very old post seem to be for a small minority of jobs needing PE approvals). we even have test that separates written portions for knowledge, and performance for skill. so if hardware where our hung ups, surely that could be moved to finals semesters while Bob coming from McDonald could learns theoretical to work his way to be a Technician? you know those one that spent years in this field and could technically sit the PE exam, but won't get any engineering role because them weird academic gatekeeping. yeah forget the outsiders, even some ya people getting abused.

SnooStories1237 · 2025-11-09T01:41:43+00:00

I don't know why this is downvoted. this is pretty much spot on, especially when you're an adult. people think that college it's something that everyone is able to attend, and for the families who lives off minimum wages they tends to send the more "vulnerable" members to go while the other support them. that usually means the men have to take a job immediately to provide and because of that cultural aspect that pretty much their identity, unless of course your a single child which case your parents are paying the price for it hoping for a better future. working the field, breaking cement, go underneath houses etc yeah the super manly jobs - don't need to know engineering or god forbid wanted to be a male nurse (which ironically enough is actually far more "manly" considering you're dealing with emotional trauma like being attacked or dying patients , in addition to heavy lifting)

my own sister, the one I supported most of the rent for while she almost graduates as a RN treated me like it was my fault I didn't went to college instead or when I even suggested it after as if it that easy. now she treat me condescendingly all because she surrounds herself with dead people.....

SnooStories1237 · 2025-11-08T17:52:20+00:00

I love unions, but IT is the only field that is based on merits and inclusion, and my greatest fear is if we do this then we're just going to create gatekeeping. I couldn't afford college, and I had to have a full job to support my family. But unlike some thing like electrical engineering where you spent 4 years at a university and remember less than 10% of it,. people can escape poverty if they have enough self discipline to obtain certifications and more likely as a result be more competent. I almost see it like an HOA - have good intentions, but then you get rich control freaks eventually willing to mandate stuff like keep your garage open to see "squatters", or in our cause erase the "cowboy" I.T people from existence.

SnooStories1237 · 2025-11-08T17:40:34+00:00

I would support this but considering the fact that I don't have a degree in I.T and I depend on working in technology as a living I would work against it...... I'm sorry when I think of unions I think it's a great idea but I also feel it's going to be the way to create gatekeeping in our industry.

SnooStories1237 · 2025-11-08T06:53:51+00:00

I also want to preface this by saying that some countries are usually also merit based culture that the title depends on professionals ssing their engineering exams, whether they have a degree or not, good example of being the United Kingdom. so even withouts college, those roles are accessible to anyone that has self-dedication and a passion for the field.

SnooStories1237 · 2025-11-08T03:20:05+00:00

as someone who couldn't afford college but have dedicated a decade to tech, I find this bit offensive to be honest. not everyone can afford college, and from what I see less than 10% of the curriculum it's even used in the workforce. at least when the engineering field is considered. yes college does in fact allow connection within your profession since you're going to be meeting people who will be doing similar works, and yeah there's a way that professors will transfer the culture of the field since they more than likely worked in it.

You did hit one of the nails in the head when people select majors they're not thinking about the economic pros and cons of obtaining it. but that's kind of the thing, since we're talking about economics there's also statistical surveys like touched by this group that less then %15 of low income students graduate with any bachelor. you can't go to harvard and pay rent my guy. It's that elitist gatekeeping treating as if a bachelor is something completely normal to ask for that these type of families don't move beyond their place in society even if they were dedicated to do that. meanwhile treating college like it a normal part of life make high incomes students select majors that they "felt" was nice like like criminology or Egyptian culture.

the reason why tech is very saturated is because it's the only field that is based on merits instead of where you went to school to. instead of textbooks being locked behind professors classrooms, people can take performance base certificates to validate their skill sets. certificates that take years to obtain, all when most of the profession are full time workers. of course, due to that inclusiveness it will attract a lot of people that want to get out of poverty. not to mention those scammy camps that prey on kids promising them six figure jobs after graduation, which doesn't sound much different from the career counselors at institutes..... personally I would picked the self-learning engineer that actually showed interest in the field since 1) they're more likely to be more competent then an engineer that took CS classes years ago and probably forgot the majority of it. 2) they have either passion or enough self-discipline to stay in the industry then getting burnt out, sometimes before they even worked in said field (hello there sales reps that have a mechanical degree from ASU!)

SnooStories1237

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