Network Engineer vs Cloud Engineer: which career is better?

Neither is universally "better" - they are converging.

Network Engineer: deep expertise in routing, switching, WAN, security and physical infrastructure. Very durable skill set; every cloud still runs on a network. Growth can feel slower without automation skills.

Cloud Engineer: broader surface (compute, storage, identity, networking, IaC), more demand in product companies, generally faster salary growth early on, but the technology churns quickly.

The strongest position in 2026 is the overlap: a network engineer who understands cloud networking and automation. That profile is scarce and hard to outsource.

Suggested path from 2 years of networking

1. Keep your networking depth - it is your advantage.
2. Add Linux + Python + Git.
3. Learn one cloud deeply (VPC/VNet, routing, security, connectivity to on-prem).
4. Add Terraform.
5. Target Cloud Network Engineer or Network Automation Engineer roles.

Next step: do not "leave" networking - extend it.