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Network Engineer

Jurutera Rangkaian · Teknologi IT

Starting
RM3,000 - RM4,500
Senior
RM8,000 - RM16,000
Entry
Degree
Short answerA network engineer designs and maintains the networks that connect an organisation's computers, offices and data centres.
This is the clearest step up from IT support, and one of the few well-paid technology careers genuinely built on certificates rather than a degree.
No licence, but the Cisco CCNA is the de facto industry standard — nearly every networking job ad in Malaysia names it.
One thing to state honestly: this field is changing. As companies move to the cloud, physical networking shrinks and cloud networking grows. A network engineer who does not learn the cloud is in a narrowing position.

What does a Network Engineer do?

Designs and manages the networks connecting offices, data centres and the internet.

A day in the life

Network engineers build & maintain organisational networks: switches, routers, WiFi, firewalls, VPNs.
A typical day: configuring devices, chasing "slow internet" issues, planning upgrades, documenting topology.
At an MSP you mind many clients' networks at once.

Is this right for you?

A good fit if you: love how data moves, troubleshoot layer by layer systematically, and have patience for cables & configs.
Less suitable if you: want no network emergency calls.

Salary & career ladder

Salary range
Junior network technician: RM3,000–4,500.
Network engineer (CCNA + 2–3 years): RM4,500–9,000.
Senior (CCNP): RM9,000–16,000.
Network architect / CCIE: RM16,000–30,000.
Telcos, data centres and banks pay at the top end.

The most important number on this page
Networking + cloud: RM10,000–20,000.
That is the difference between staying a traditional network engineer and adding one cloud certificate.
The cost is a few hundred ringgit and some months of study. The effect is close to double.

What is changing — and this matters
Shrinking: managing physical switches and routers, on-site data centre maintenance. As companies move to the cloud there is less hardware to maintain. This is a real trend, not speculation.
Growing: cloud networking, software-defined networking, network security, automation.
The conclusion: the underlying skill — understanding how networks actually work — stays valuable. It is the same foundation whether the network is in a rack or inside AWS.
But an engineer who only knows physical hardware is in a shrinking field, and one who adds cloud is not.
Take the cloud certificate.

An advantage that does not exist in most other careers
Software work can be done from anywhere. A developer in Malaysia working remotely for a Singapore or American company is paid in SGD or USD while paying rent in ringgit.
The difference is large — large enough that it changes the whole arithmetic of this career, and it does not exist for a doctor, a lawyer or a civil engineer, whose licences are tied to a country.
But it is conditional on two things, and both can be built starting from SPM:
English at a real working level — not merely a pass, but enough to argue about system design in a meeting.
Work you can show — GitHub, projects that run, real contributions. Companies hiring remotely cannot interview you the usual way, so they lean on what they can see.
Students who build both while studying end up in an entirely different salary market from classmates who only collected certificates.

City vs hometown

Every organisation has a network — jobs in every town (hospitals, factories, hotels, government).
Johor's data centres add sharp southern demand.

Study path after SPM / UEC

IT/Networking degree + CCNA certA career built on certificates, not a degree
Most well-paid careers require a degree. Network engineering does not.
What it requires is the CCNA, and then experience. That makes it one of the most practical routes for a student with no money for university — a clear step up from IT support to a reasonable salary.

The route
SPM → SKM / diploma <i>or</i> straight into IT support → CompTIA Network+ → CCNA → network engineer → CCNP → add cloud skills.

The part you must hear
This field is changing, and ignoring that is an expensive mistake.
As companies move to the cloud, the number of physical switches and routers falls. Network work does not disappear — it moves into the cloud, where it is configured as code.
Network engineers who learn the cloud grow. Those who do not get stuck.
That advice is specific and actionable: after the CCNA, take an Associate cloud certificate.

Where the jobs are in Malaysia
Telcos, banks, universities, hospitals, data centres, and large companies with multiple sites. The government sector also hires heavily.

Related fields
IT support technician — the way in. Cloud engineer — the recommended destination. Cybersecurity — network knowledge is a strong foundation for it. DevOps — another way forward.If you are taking the UEC instead of SPM
Everything above still applies to you — the subjects are the same disciplines, only a different exam paper. What changes is the route after it.
The UEC is not accepted for direct entry into a Malaysian public university degree. That is why independent school students overwhelmingly go to private universities in Malaysia, or abroad.
The UEC is treated as equivalent to STPM and A-Level, and it is recognised in the UK, the United States, Canada, Australia and Taiwan — which is why the overseas rate from independent schools is so high.
And the part that costs families real money — read this one properly:
PTPTN eligibility runs through SPM, and a UEC alone does not carry it. To keep the loan available you need a complete SPM, which means two things people get wrong:
Sejarah must be passed. Since SPM 2013 a pass in Sejarah (minimum E) is compulsory for the certificate itself — fail it and you do not have a complete SPM at all.
Bahasa Melayu is usually required at credit (grade C), not merely a pass.
The institution and programme must also be PTPTN-recognised — check that on the PTPTN gateway before you commit to a college.
The UEC route pushes you towards a private degree, and PTPTN is what pays for it. If you have not sat SPM, sit it — and do not treat Sejarah as the throwaway paper.
These conditions change. Verify the current rules with PTPTN before relying on any of this.

Universities

Polytechnic/IT diploma suffices; the CCNA is the real credential.
A degree helps for the later management path.

Tuition fees

CCNA: ~USD300 + courses RM1,000–RM3,000.
Among the cheapest IT career tickets.

Scholarships

Cisco Networking Academy at polytechnics/colleges — subsidised or free training.

Certification & licence

No licence. None at all.
Unlike a Civil Engineer (BEM), an Accountant (MIA) or a Doctor (MMC), no body in Malaysia licenses software work. No register, no protected title, nobody who can stop you working.
What that means in practice:
A portfolio beats a certificate. Employers check the code you wrote, not the paper you bought. This is genuinely different from licensed professions, where the paper <i>is</i> the permission to work.
Be wary of an "IT diploma" sold as a shortcut. In a field with no regulator, nobody validates what that certificate is worth — and employers know it.
Bootcamps can work, but not because of the certificate — because they force you to build something. If it does not produce showable projects, it produces nothing.

But here certificates GENUINELY decide your career
Network engineering is one of the few corners of IT where certificates, not degrees, are the real qualification. The reason: Cisco tests practical knowledge that cannot be faked.

The ladder
CompTIA Network+ — vendor-neutral, foundational. A good starting point while still studying.
Cisco CCNA — the de facto industry standard. Nearly every networking job ad in Malaysia names it. This is the door between support and network engineering.
Cisco CCNP — professional level, for serious network design work.
CCIE — expert level, very hard, and one of the most respected technical qualifications in IT.
Cloud certificates — AWS or Azure. No longer optional; see the career ladder section.

Where they come from
Cisco — the world's largest networking hardware vendor. Their certificates get checked because employers run Cisco equipment.
CompTIA — an American body, vendor-neutral, internationally recognised.

Academic qualifications
An SKM, diploma or degree. A degree is not required — and that makes this career reachable for students who will not go to university.

Financial advice
Ask your employer to pay. Many will, particularly companies running Cisco equipment.

Pros

Cons

Future & the AI era

AI-managed networks cut manual configuration — "CLI-only" engineers must evolve.
The network + cloud + automation combo (NetDevOps) is the well-paid future.

Step by step, and how long each takes

  1. SPM — EnglishSPM
    English is needed for documentation and certificate exams.
    No science stream required, no Add Maths required. This is one of the few technology routes genuinely open to students from other streams.
  2. SKM / diploma — the cheap route1–3 tahun
    A Diploma in Network Engineering or IT from a polytechnic, or an SKM.
    A degree is not required, and that matters: this is a career where certificates carry more weight than academic qualifications.
  3. CCNA — the certificate that defines this fieldKunci
    Cisco CCNA (Cisco Certified Network Associate) is the industry standard.
    Cisco is the largest networking hardware vendor, and their certificates test practical knowledge that cannot be faked in an interview.
    This is the door. Before the CCNA you are in support; after it you are in networking, with the salary to match.
    After that: CCNP for professional level.
  4. Add cloud — this is no longer optionalPenting
    This is the most important advice on this page.
    As companies move to the cloud, there is less physical network hardware to maintain. Networking does not disappear — it moves into the cloud, where it is configured as code rather than installed in a rack.
    Network engineers who add cloud skills become more valuable, because cloud networking needs the same understanding.
    Those who do not are in a shrinking field.
    See Cloud engineer — that is the sensible destination.

Key SPM subjects

Matematik, Fizik, Bahasa Inggeris

Matematik →Physics →English →

Questions students actually ask

Will networking jobs disappear because of the cloud?
They will not disappear — but they are changing noticeably, and pretending otherwise helps nobody.
What is shrinking: managing physical switches and routers, maintaining on-site server rooms. As companies move to the cloud, there is less hardware anyone has to touch.
What does not disappear: networking itself. Every cloud system still needs subnets, routing, firewalls and load balancers — it is just configured as code rather than installed in a rack.
That means the fundamentals stay valuable. Someone who genuinely understands TCP/IP, routing and DNS can work in both worlds. Someone who only knows how to plug in cables cannot.
The specific advice, and it is worth money:
After the CCNA, take an Associate cloud certificate (AWS or Azure). Traditional network engineers earn RM4,500–9,000; network engineers with cloud skills earn RM10,000–20,000.
The cost is a few hundred ringgit and some months. It is probably the single best decision in this career.
Practice SPM Matematik →K1 papers + AI answers · 3 languages

Where to study — universities and total fees

University Course Total fees Duration Location
SEGi University & CollegesDegree · Bachelor of Science (Honours) Computer Science (Cyber Security and Networks) 3+0 in collaboration with University of Hertfordshire, UKRM 40,8003 YearsKota Damansara / KL / Subang / Penang / Sarawak
Multimedia University (MMU)Degree · BACHELOR OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (HONS) DATA COMMUNICATION AND NETWORKINGRM 62,2503 YearsCyberjaya, Selangor / Melaka
First City University CollegeDegree · BACHELOR OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (NETWORKING AND SECURITY) (HON)RM 71,6803 YearsBandar Utama, Selangor
UCSI University / UCSI CollegeDegree · BACHELOR OF COMPUTER SCIENCE (HONS) MOBILE COMPUTING & NETWORKINGRM 73,6103 YearsCheras, Kuala Lumpur
Curtin University MalaysiaDegree · Bachelor of Computer Systems and NetworkingRM 76,2003 YearsMiri, Sarawak
Sunway CollegeDegree · BSc (Hons) Information Technology (Computer Networking and Security)RM 100,2003 Years (full-time)Bandar Sunway, Selangor
Sunway UniversityDegree · BSc (Hons) Information Technology (Computer Networking and Security)RM 113,5503 Years (full-time)Bandar Sunway, Selangor

Fees are a guide only and change every year. Confirm the current figure with the university before you decide.

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Sources

Figures and policy on this page are checked against these reports. Last reviewed 2026-09.

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