What N10-007 actually tells a hiring manager

CompTIA Network+ N10-007 was the 2018 version of Network+, and employers that still mention it are usually not fixated on the exact exam version. What they care about is that you learned the core networking baseline: TCP/IP, routing and switching concepts, cabling, wireless, common ports and protocols, segmentation, troubleshooting methodology, and basic network security.

From a hiring standpoint, this cert does not tell me you're ready to architect an enterprise network. It tells me you're less likely to get lost when the conversation turns to VLANs, DHCP scopes, DNS resolution, subnetting, VPN basics, or why a user can reach one site but not another. That matters for early-career infrastructure hiring because a lot of applicants say they "know networking" when they really mean they can connect to Wi-Fi and reboot a router.

For junior roles, N10-007 is most useful as a filter-clearer. It helps you get past HR screens for jobs where networking is part of the day-to-day but not the entire role. Think support teams, MSP service desks, field support, NOC environments, and junior systems roles. In those settings, managers want someone who can follow a cable path, check interface status, understand what a default gateway does, recognize a duplex mismatch symptom, and talk intelligently to a senior network engineer.

If you already have 1-3 years in IT, Network+ has a different value. It can help you pivot out of pure end-user support and into infrastructure work. I've seen it used effectively by desktop support technicians, IT support specialists, and military veterans moving into civilian networking or telecom support jobs.

Where it helps less: highly specialized network engineering jobs, senior security roles, and cloud-heavy positions where employers expect CCNA-level depth, hands-on firewall work, BGP/OSPF familiarity, or automation skills. In those cases, Network+ is respected, but it is not enough by itself.

The jobs that really line up with this certification

The most realistic targets for N10-007 are jobs where networking knowledge is required but the employer is not expecting deep design experience.

Common job titles that actually show up with Network+ in postings include:

Network Support Specialist
NOC Technician
Junior Network Administrator
IT Support Specialist with networking responsibilities
Field Service Technician for networked environments
Systems Administrator at smaller companies where one person wears multiple hats

You will also see the cert mentioned in postings for Help Desk Technician, Desktop Support Technician, and Technical Support Specialist, especially at managed service providers and government contractors. In those cases, the cert is being used to identify candidates who can troubleshoot beyond the operating system layer.

The best-fit employers are usually:

Managed service providers (MSPs): They value Network+ because junior staff touch switches, access points, firewalls, VoIP gear, and client connectivity tickets early.
K-12 school districts and higher education IT departments: These teams often need broad infrastructure support rather than narrow specialization.
Healthcare clinics and regional hospital systems: Lots of endpoint and network troubleshooting, especially with VoIP phones, printers, wireless devices, and segmented networks.
Manufacturing and warehousing: Network-connected scanners, cameras, industrial devices, and distributed facilities create constant need for practical networking support.
Local government and defense contractors: Network+ is commonly recognized alongside Security+ and A+ for baseline infrastructure roles, especially where DoD-minded environments value CompTIA certs.
Telecom and cable providers: For field and support roles dealing with circuits, customer edge devices, wireless backhaul, and troubleshooting connectivity.

If you're job searching, don't limit yourself to titles with the word "network" in them. A lot of early-career networking work hides inside broader IT jobs. A small business may advertise for a "Systems Support Administrator" when the real need is someone who can manage switches, patch panels, printers, VPN users, and wireless issues.

What the pay usually looks like in the US

For this certification, salary expectations should stay grounded in the fact that Network+ is an entry-to-early-career infrastructure cert. It supports better pay than a pure call-center help desk profile, but it does not command senior engineer compensation on its own.

A realistic way to think about pay is by the kind of work you're trusted to do.

Entry level is usually someone moving from school, military service, home lab experience, or general support into a role where they handle basic connectivity issues, ticket queues, device setup, patching, documentation, and escalation. In much of the US, these jobs land in the high-40s to low-60s. Rural markets and smaller employers may be lower. Major metro areas or government contracting work may be higher.

Mid-level pay usually means you are no longer just triaging tickets. You're administering switches and access points, making routine configuration changes, supporting WAN/VPN connectivity, participating in maintenance windows, and owning recurring network problems. At this stage, employers often want 2-5 years of experience and may prefer Network+ plus CCNA, Security+, or vendor-specific exposure. That's where compensation starts to move into the 60s, 70s, and low 80s.

Senior compensation in the Network+ orbit usually does not mean the cert itself made you senior. It means you started with Network+ and then built enough hands-on experience to become a lead administrator, senior NOC analyst, infrastructure specialist, or network-focused systems administrator. Once you are designing changes, mentoring juniors, handling incidents independently, and working across firewalls, switching, wireless, and cloud-connected networks, you can reach the upper range listed below. But by then, employers are paying for experience, not just the cert.

A few practical salary notes:

MSPs often pay less at first but can accelerate your learning because you'll touch many environments quickly.
Internal IT at larger enterprises may pay better and offer more stability, but entry into network-specific work can be slower.
Government and defense contracting can be attractive if you have clearance eligibility or military background; CompTIA certs are frequently recognized there.
High-cost markets like San Francisco, Seattle, New York, Boston, and DC can push salaries above these ranges, but the cost of living changes the picture.
Small-town school districts, local nonprofits, and small manufacturers may sit at the lower end even when the work is broad.

If someone tells you Network+ leads directly to six figures, they are leaving out the part where that person also had strong experience, often another cert like CCNA, and usually responsibility beyond basic support.

How careers usually unfold after Network+

Network+ is rarely the destination. It's more often the first certification that moves someone from general IT into infrastructure.

A common real-world path looks like this:

Stage 1: Support with networking exposure
You start in help desk, desktop support, field support, or an MSP service desk. Your value is that you understand the difference between a local machine problem and a network problem. You can verify DNS, check IP configuration, trace routes, identify switch-port issues, and escalate cleanly.

Stage 2: Operational network work
From there, you move into NOC technician, network support specialist, or junior administrator work. This is where you start living in ticket queues related to WAN links, wireless outages, VLAN assignments, VPN access, and interface monitoring. You may make approved changes, replace hardware, update configs under supervision, and document standard fixes.

Stage 3: Administration or specialization
After a few years, the path splits. Some people become Network Administrators or Systems Administrators with strong networking skills. Others go toward Security, VoIP/UC, wireless, cloud networking, or telecom. This is where Network+ stops being the headline and becomes part of your foundation.

Stage 4: Engineer-level work
To move into true network engineering, most professionals need deeper routing/switching knowledge, stronger vendor platform experience, and more change ownership. That usually means adding CCNA or equivalent practical experience, learning firewall administration, understanding network design tradeoffs, and getting comfortable with documentation, diagrams, and maintenance planning.

The important point is this: Network+ helps you get into the stream, but your next move depends on what environment you enter.

At an MSP, you may progress faster because of exposure volume.
In a large enterprise, you may need patience but can build stronger process discipline and specialized knowledge.
In small business IT, you may become a very capable generalist who handles networking, servers, M365, and security tools all at once.

If your long-term goal is cybersecurity, Network+ is also a useful stepping stone. Security teams still need people who understand how traffic moves, how segmentation works, and how to troubleshoot connectivity before blaming the firewall.

Skills that make Network+ worth more than a line on your resume

The people who get the most career value from N10-007 are the ones who pair it with evidence that they can work on real systems.

The highest-impact add-ons are:

1. Hands-on switch and router practice
Even basic familiarity with Cisco, Aruba, Ubiquiti, Fortinet, or Juniper gear helps. You do not need expert-level command line skills at first, but you should be able to talk about interfaces, VLANs, trunking, DHCP relay, NAT basics, and simple routing.

2. Subnetting without panic
Hiring managers still ask subnetting questions because they reveal whether you actually understand addressing. You do not need to be a human calculator, but you should be comfortable determining host ranges, masks, and whether two devices are in the same subnet.

3. Wireless troubleshooting
In many environments, users experience "the network" as Wi-Fi. Learn channel interference, SSIDs, authentication basics, roaming issues, and how access point placement affects performance.

4. Basic security awareness
Network+ already touches security, but you become more employable if you can discuss ACLs, segmentation, VPNs, MFA impacts on connectivity, and the difference between a network outage and a security control doing its job.

5. Ticket quality and documentation
This sounds boring, but it matters. Junior candidates who can document symptoms, tests performed, impacted scope, and next steps are easier to trust. Good network operations depend on clean handoffs.

6. Monitoring and tooling
Exposure to tools like Wireshark, PRTG, SolarWinds, Nagios, Meraki dashboard, or basic SIEM/network monitoring platforms gives you credibility. Even if you've only used them in a lab, mention that.

7. Scripting and automation basics
You do not need to become a network automation engineer immediately, but basic PowerShell or Python helps. At minimum, know how to automate repetitive checks, parse logs, or handle inventory/reporting tasks.

If you already have A+, Network+ is a strong next step. If you want to keep climbing in networking specifically, CCNA is the most common follow-on because employers see it as proof of deeper practical networking knowledge.

How to present comptia-n10-007 so it helps you get interviews

The biggest mistake candidates make is listing Network+ with no proof that they can apply it.

On your resume, don't just put:

CompTIA Network+ (N10-007)

Add context through bullets that show what you did or practiced. For example:

Resolved Layer 1-3 connectivity issues for users across wired, wireless, and VPN connections
Supported switch, access point, and firewall troubleshooting in a 200-user office environment
Used ping, tracert, ipconfig, DNS checks, and packet capture tools to isolate network issues
Documented network diagrams, IP addressing, and recurring incident patterns for escalation
Assisted with VLAN changes, port provisioning, and wireless rollout tasks under senior engineer guidance

If you're light on professional experience, build a small lab and talk about it clearly:

Configured VLANs between managed switches
Built a home lab with DHCP, DNS, and dual-band wireless segmentation
Practiced packet capture analysis in Wireshark
Simulated VPN and subnetting scenarios using Packet Tracer, GNS3, or similar tools

In interviews, use Network+ as a foundation, not a brag. A good way to frame it is:

"Network+ gave me a structured understanding of routing, switching, addressing, and troubleshooting. Since earning it, I've applied that through hands-on support/lab work by doing X, Y, and Z."

That answer works because it shows the cert plus action.

Also be honest about your level. If you're applying to a junior role, you do not need to pretend you're a network engineer. Many hiring managers prefer candidates who know the basics well, communicate clearly, and escalate intelligently over candidates who oversell themselves.

One more practical point: because N10-007 is an older exam version, some candidates worry it looks dated. Usually it doesn't matter much if the certification is still recognized as Network+. If asked, you can simply say that the version reflects when you earned it, and your knowledge has stayed current through continued hands-on work, study, or newer tools.

Who should pursue it, and who should skip it

N10-007 makes sense if you are in one of these situations:

You are trying to move from general IT support into infrastructure work
You have little formal networking background and want a respected baseline cert
You are targeting MSPs, school systems, regional healthcare, local government, telecom support, or defense-adjacent IT roles
You need a credential that helps recruiters see you as more than just desktop support

It is less compelling if:

You already have solid hands-on networking experience and are aiming for engineer-level roles; in that case, CCNA or vendor-specific certs usually carry more weight
You are focused mainly on cloud administration without much traditional networking ownership
You want a cert that by itself materially changes your salary overnight; this one usually works incrementally, not dramatically

My candid view: Network+ is a good career investment when it matches your stage. For early-career IT people, it can be the certification that gets you out of password resets and into real infrastructure conversations. For experienced professionals, it is usually too basic to change your trajectory unless it fills a gap in your background.

Used correctly, though, it does something important: it gives employers confidence that you understand the language of networks well enough to be useful on day one. That's not glamorous, but it is exactly how many infrastructure careers start.

Salary Information

Level	Salary Range
Entry Level	$48,000 - $63,000
Mid Level	$65,000 - $85,000
Senior	$85,000 - $110,000

Common Job Titles

Network Support Specialist
NOC Technician
Junior Network Administrator
IT Support Specialist
Field Service Technician
Systems Administrator