In her 15-plus years in the industry, Deb Brenamen, IT liaison manager for Midwest manufacturing company New Venture Gear, says she has witnessed a significant shift in upper management's attitude toward the network professional.

"Companies are finally starting to pay attention to technical employees as more than just a necessary evil," she says. "These employees bring a lot to the table in terms of business systems, and employers are changing things to be more competitive."

This increased recognition is translating into healthy increases in total compensation for network professionals, according to NetworkWorld’s annual Network World Salary Survey. The average base salary of the 3,702 network professionals who participated in the survey rose from $61,618 in 1999 to a projected $65,997 in 2000, an increase of 7 percent.

But that's not even the best part. Total compensation has gone up dramatically, fueled by hefty bonuses and stock options, from $63,050 in 1998 to $73,141 in 1999 to $80,235 in 2000, according to analysis of the survey results by STAT Resources, a research firm in Brookline, Mass. For the survey, STAT sent e-mails to a random sample of Network World subscribers requesting them to participate in a private online survey. STAT then analyzed the raw data.

Per that data, your average annual bonus increased 28 percent, from $5,193 in 1999 to an anticipated $6,670 this year. Stock options increased 24 percent, from $5,210 in 1999 to a projected $6,497 this year. The percentage of respondents who expect to receive additional compensation in the form of stock options and bonuses increased from 46 percent to 56 percent.

The numbers don't lie: Compensation is up

Sherry Callahan, senior network administrator at financial services firm State Street, in Kansas City, Mo., is enjoying the changes to her paycheck. She received a 15 percent salary increase last year and reports another 19 percent for 2000, on top of a four-digit bonus due later this year.
Of course, not all of you will see that large an increase, depending on your title, the size of your company, your location and perhaps even your gender. But the numbers don't lie: Compensation in the network industry is on the rise due to the emergence of new, complex technologies like VPNs and voice over IP, the increased importance of e-commerce and a shortage of skilled workers.

The Web is clearly the hot place to be. If you can successfully create, design and maintain a dynamic Web site, your average salary is $83,000, but in terms of total compensation, you're pulling in about $106,000. Internet, intranet, e-commerce and Web managers -- all relatively new positions in the industry -- are in demand, and their average paychecks are more than 50 percent higher than network managers, who average about $61,656 per year.

Most respondents predict the salary gap will narrow over time. While those in non-Web positions may express a bit of jealousy about the high salaries going to people in online positions, they also understand the big bucks may be justified.

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