While not always a strict requirement, coding skills are becoming increasingly beneficial for Network Engineers. Automation is becoming a significant part of network management, and knowing how to write scripts to automate routine tasks can be a big advantage. Understanding programming languages such as Python, Perl, or Ruby can help a Network Engineer to create these scripts. Additionally, software-defined networking (SDN) is an emerging field where coding skills are particularly valuable. While you can certainly work as a Network Engineer without coding skills, having them can make you more efficient and open up more opportunities.