Over the past few years, network professionals have seen their incomes rise as networks have become more strategic to their companies' operations. This trend is expected to continue, although percentages of salary increases will generally taper off.
Several factors play a role in determining salary.
Some of the key ones are industry type, geography, and a person's education and experience. Also, the Northeastern, Mid-Atlantic, and Western states offer the highest salaries. Southern and Midwe stern states often lag far behind. Other factors include skills, network size and complexity, and a company's penchant for using information technology as a business weapon. The more education and ex-perience you have, the more complex the network is, and the more strategic technology is to your organization, the more likely you are to hit the high range of the salary scale.