This article was updated on March 2020
IT Engineer Job Description
As an IT engineer, you will be responsible for fixing and maintaining a company’s IT systems; this is vital because these systems enable organisations to operate and communicate with one another daily.
Perhaps you have heard news items about companies installing new systems or upgrading existing communications infrastructure. This is the kind of work you will be involved in if you choose a career as an IT engineer.
Let’s dive in:
Typical Responsibilities of an IT Engineer
Life As An IT Engineer
Skills
Career
Salary
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Typical Responsibilities of an IT Engineer
In a nutshell, you will need to implement, maintain, support, develop and design a company’s communication network. Your role is important if the company is to achieve its goal of providing maximum performance for clients, staff, suppliers and customers. If you are genuinely interested in a career as an IT engineer, here are the main networks you will be working with:
- Local Area Networks (LANs): This involves connecting computers within a small area such as a home or office.
- Metropolitan Area Networks (MANs): This involves joining LANs across a larger area such as a college campus or even a city.
- Wide Area Networks (WANs): As the name suggests, this involves linking systems across Irish cities.
- Global Area Networks (GANs): This involves the use of wireless and satellite technology to combine networks over an unlimited area.
You must ensure each of these networks meets the demands of an organisation. For instance, you must make sure it is possible for everyone to log on simultaneously without the system crashing. Here is a list of things you can expect to do on any given day:
- Install new hardware and software.
- Setting up accounts for company employees with passwords and permissions.
- Monitoring a company’s systems with security the prime objective.
- Fixing network faults.
- Installing antivirus protection.
- Coming up with IT solutions to fix a company’s problems.
- Ensuring staff is properly trained on new systems.
If you work in a larger company, you may be asked to work in one particular area but in a smaller business, you may be the ‘go-to’ person for all IT-related matters.
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What Is Life As An IT Engineer?
While you will generally work 35-40 hours a week, you will need to be flexible. If a new system needs to be installed or a fault has to be fixed, it is possible that you may need to work a night shift to ensure a company’s daily operations are not affected. IT engineers are often expected to be on call to cover problems that occur outside of normal working hours.
You will generally work in an office since it is possible to manage technology remotely. It is likely you will occasionally have to travel between a company’s offices to ensure everything is working smoothly.
Most IT engineer jobs are full-time though there are an increasing number of freelance opportunities available. There will be job opportunities in various sectors including finance, government and retail.
What Kind Of Skills Do I Need To Succeed?
First and foremost, you need to have a real love of IT and technology if you expect to be a success as an IT engineer. If liked the information provided in this IT Engineer job description from the duties to salary to career progression, then you’re onto a good start. Also, here is a list of skills needed to thrive in this role:
- An ability to organise, prioritise and multi-task.
- A desire to remain up to date with changes in technology.
- The capacity to explain complex IT matters in layman’s terms.
- Excellent IT and problem solving skills.
- An understanding of what a business and its users need and expect from a computer system.
Ready to take the next step to becoming an IT Engineer? Check these IT Engineer jobs and apply!
Living in Ireland area? Find IT Engineer jobs near you!
An IT Engineer Career’s Progression
It is possible to get started by learning IT skills on an apprenticeship program but you are more likely to find a job if you have a Bachelors Degree in an IT topic.
However, a large percentage of IT engineers start their careers with a non-computer related degree so no matter what college qualification you have, there is still a chance for you to get into IT.
One of the most important things to remember about IT is that it’s a growing and ever-changing industry so you need to remain up to date if you want to succeed.
This means ongoing education; while some employers will support this endeavour, you may have to take these courses on your own time while also paying for them. An example of such a course is a Higher Diploma in Information Management from City and Guilds. Once you reach a certain level, you may be able to take training courses run by IT giants such as Cisco, Microsoft and Oracle.
IT Engineer Salary
There are a number of different roles for IT engineers and the salary varies depending on the area you work in. For example, a network engineer can expect to earn €60,000-€80,000 in Dublin per year.
Once you become an IT manager, your salary is likely to be in the €90,000 – €150,000 range and experienced IT directors can earn up to €150,000 a year as well. For a complete IT salaries guide for 2020 click here.
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