Network Engineer vs Software Engineer: pay, outlook, education and work, side by side.
Every row comes from one named source and says which career leads on that one dimension. There is no overall score.
Network Engineer vs Software Engineer: BLS classifies them as different occupations (SOC 15-1241 and 15-1252). The national median annual wage is $134,050 for network engineers and $135,980 for software engineers (BLS, May 2025). BLS projects national employment to change +7.7% for network engineers and +10.2% for software engineers from 2025 to 2035. Typical entry-level education: Bachelor's degree vs Bachelor's degree. Which fits better depends on what you value; the table shows who leads on each dimension, with no overall winner.
Side by side
Data Differences smaller than a stated threshold read “About the same” (pay 5%, growth 2 points, openings 10%, one education level, ORS 10 points, O*NET 0.2).
Pick what matters to you; the matching rows are highlighted. Nothing is combined into a score.
| Dimension · source | Network EngineerSOC 15-1241 | Software EngineerSOC 15-1252 | Leads on this dimension |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median annual wageBLS OEWS, May 2025 (national) | $134,050 | $135,980 | About the same |
| EmploymentBLS OEWS, May 2025 | 179,740 | 1,687,890 | Not ranked |
| Projected employment change, 2025–35BLS Employment Projections (national) | +7.7% | +10.2% | Software Engineer |
| Projected numeric change in jobs, 2025–35BLS Employment Projections (national) · A count, not a rate: it scales with the size of the occupation. | +14,100 jobs | +174,700 jobs | Not ranked |
| Projected openings (annual average)BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35 | 9,600 a year | 95,300 a year | Software Engineer |
| Typical entry-level educationBLS Employment Projections · typical, not a legal requirement | Bachelor's degree | Bachelor's degree | About the same |
| Typical work experience in a related occupationBLS Employment Projections | 5 years or more | None | Software Engineer |
| Typical on-the-job trainingBLS Employment Projections | None | None | Not ranked |
| Pressure level (O*NET, 1–5; lower = less)O*NET® 31.0 work context | 3.01 | 2.36 | Software Engineer |
| Social-contact level (O*NET, 1–5)O*NET® 31.0 work context · not ranked: neither direction is better | 3.71 | 3.02 | Not ranked |
| Freedom to make decisions (O*NET, 1–5)O*NET® 31.0 work context | 3.75 | 4.27 | Software Engineer |
| Work styles O*NET rates most importantO*NET® 31.0 work styles (occupation ratings, not a personality test) | Attention to Detail, Dependability, Intellectual Curiosity | Attention to Detail, Innovation, Dependability | Not ranked |
Choose based on what matters to you
Data Each line restates a measured difference from the table; nothing here predicts how you will feel about a job.
- faster projected national growth matters (+10.2% vs +7.7%)
- starting without related work experience matters (None vs 5 years or more)
- a lower-pressure work environment matters (2.36 vs 3.01)
- more decision-making freedom matters (4.27 vs 3.75)
Which skills each one leans on
Data O*NET 31.0 skill ratings: level (0–7) and importance.
Skill-profile match: 30% (similarity of the two O*NET skill profiles, importance × level; 100% = identical).
- Programming (+3.6 on O*NET's 0–7 skill-level scale)
- Quality Control Analysis (+3.6 on O*NET's 0–7 skill-level scale)
- Operations Analysis (+3.2 on O*NET's 0–7 skill-level scale)
- Equipment Selection (+2.8 on O*NET's 0–7 skill-level scale)
- Social Perceptiveness (+0.4 on O*NET's 0–7 skill-level scale)
- Technology Design (+0.2 on O*NET's 0–7 skill-level scale)
- Systems Evaluation (+0.2 on O*NET's 0–7 skill-level scale)
What each career involves
Data Core tasks from O*NET 31.0.
Network Engineer
- Develop disaster recovery plans.
- Develop or recommend network security measures, such as firewalls, network security audits, or automated security probes.
- Develop and implement solutions for network problems.
- Maintain networks by performing activities such as file addition, deletion, or backup.
Software Engineer
- Analyze user needs and software requirements to determine feasibility of design within time and cost constraints.
- Develop or direct software system testing or validation procedures, programming, or documentation.
- Confer with systems analysts, engineers, programmers and others to design systems and to obtain information on project limitations and capabilities, performance requirements and interfaces.
- Modify existing software to correct errors, adapt it to new hardware, or upgrade interfaces and improve performance.
Largest employing industries
Data Share of all jobs in each occupation, BLS Employment Matrix 2025.
Network Engineer
- Professional, scientific, and technical services (35.5% of all jobs in this occupation)
- Telecommunications (9.0% of all jobs in this occupation)
- Management of companies and enterprises (8.6% of all jobs in this occupation)
Software Engineer
- Professional, scientific, and technical services (40.1% of all jobs in this occupation)
- Management of companies and enterprises (5.6% of all jobs in this occupation)
- Computer and electronic product manufacturing (4.5% of all jobs in this occupation)
Moving between these careers
Data The comparison shows which; the career-change guides show how.
- Network Engineer → Software Engineer: skills to build: no skill rated half a point higher.
- Software Engineer → Network Engineer: skills to build: Programming, Quality Control Analysis, Operations Analysis.
Go deeper
Network Engineer career hub · Network Engineer salary · Network Engineer how to become · Software Engineer career hub · Software Engineer salary · Software Engineer how to become
Common questions
Which pays more, Network Engineer or Software Engineer?
Which is growing faster?
Which is better?
How this page is built
BLS classifies them as different occupations (SOC 15-1241 and 15-1252). Pay: BLS OEWS May 2025 national median for each occupation's SOC code. Outlook: BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 (growth, numeric change and annual openings are separate metrics). Requirements rows: 2025 preliminary BLS Occupational Requirements Survey, shown only when both roles have detailed-occupation estimates. Work environment: O*NET 31.0 work context. This page includes information from the O*NET® 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. TryHired has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. Searches this page answers include “network engineer vs software engineer”, “software engineer vs network engineer”, “network engineer vs software engineer salary” (Ahrefs, U.S.).
- Any one employer's pay, schedule or culture.
- Job security, ease of hiring or work-life balance: these are not measured here.
- Which career you will prefer: the rows describe the occupations, not you.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 estimates (public domain).
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections program, 2025–35 national projections (growth, openings, typical entry-level education and experience).
- O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. TryHired selected, ranked and combined the data; O*NET is not responsible for these pages.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Requirements Survey, 2025 estimates (preliminary: two of the third wave's samples, collected August 2023 to July 2025; released January 16, 2026), public domain.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections program, 2025–35 National Employment Matrix (all jobs, including self-employed).