💡 Why it matters: Billions of people depend on phone and data networks, and demand for data keeps growing. Network engineers build and fix the systems behind every call and video.
🌍 Around the world
- Nigeria: Nigeria has over a hundred million phone users and fast-growing demand for data.
- United States: Jobs for electrical and electronics engineers (the closest US category) are projected to grow 8% from 2025 to 2035, much faster than average (US Bureau of Labor Statistics).
💰 What it can pay
🇳🇬 Nigeria
- Starting out
- ₦1.5M – ₦3.8M
- Mid-career
- ₦4.5M – ₦11M
- Senior
- ₦11M – ₦28M
≈ ₦375k – ₦917k a month mid-career. Indicative estimate by Incusim.
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
Closest UK profile: Telecoms engineer (a field technician role). Typical starter to experienced salary. National Careers Service, 2026
🇺🇸 United States
Closest US category: Electrical and electronics engineers. Median pay; low and high are the 10th and 90th percentiles. US Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025
🇨🇦 Canada
Hourly wage low and high x 2,080 hours; Job Bank shows no national median.. Job Bank (Government of Canada), 2023-2024
Yearly pay before tax. UK, US and Canada figures come from the official sources named on each card. Nigeria has no official salary survey, so those are our indicative estimates. Real pay depends on the employer, the place, your skills and experience.
🛠️ What you actually do
- Plan and build mobile and fibre networks
- Test signal strength and fix faults
- Install and maintain masts and base stations
- Upgrade networks to faster technology like 5G
- Keep data and calls flowing during outages
⚡ Skills you'll need
- Problem solving
- Maths
- Tech know-how
- Patience
- Teamwork
Get ready at school
🇳🇬 Nigeria
- Cisco or fibre-splicing certifications
- Do SIWES (Students' Industrial Work Experience Scheme) with a telecom or network company
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
- Telecoms or network engineer apprenticeship, then part-time study for a degree
- Degree apprenticeship with a network operator
🇺🇸 United States
- Associate degree or certificate in telecommunications or networking, which leads to technician roles
- Industry certificates such as Cisco CCNA (a networking qualification)
🇨🇦 Canada
- College diploma in telecommunications or electronics engineering technology
- Industry certificates such as Cisco CCNA (a networking qualification)
🗺️ Your path to this career
- 1Study Maths and Physics well
- 2Take an Electrical, Electronics or Telecom degree
- 3Do a work placement with a telecom or network company
- 4Join a network operator or tower company
- 5Specialise in 5G, fibre or satellite links
⏰ A day in the life
Customers in one area have no signal, so you check the network dashboard and find a fibre cut. You send a field team, reroute traffic and then plan a new mast with your design team.