U.S. Navy Rating Career Guide

ITN — Information Systems Technicians, Submarine, Network:
Civilian Career Guide

Navy ITN experience can support network support, systems administration, cybersecurity, network architecture, and IT project careers. Strong candidates prove users, endpoints, servers, network devices, availability, incidents, security controls, backups, accreditation, training, and leadership using releasable metrics. Clearance eligibility, classified access, privileged accounts, vendor credentials, and civilian cyber authority must be verified separately by each employer.

Network administrator median: $99,130 (BLS May 2025)

Information security analyst median: $129,180

Cisco CCNA exam: $300

Navy rating source note

NAVPERS 18068F describes ITNs as submarine network specialists who build, configure, deploy, operate, secure, maintain, back up, and restore networks, servers, hardware, software, and peripherals. Duties include user support, security controls, vulnerability work, accreditation, information-system security, training, quality, planning, and leadership. Civilian translation depends on releasable scale, platforms, incidents, controls, availability, and administrative authority.

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Choose the part you need first.

Computer Network Support Specialist$47k – $128kBroad enterprise support benchmark

Network and Systems Administrator$63k – $155kEnterprise infrastructure benchmark

Information Security Analyst$75k – $200kHigh-demand cyber benchmark

Computer Network Architect$80k – $203kAdvanced network design benchmark

IT Project Specialist$62k – $168kCross-industry project benchmark

See full role breakdowns: demand data, hiring notes, and employer expectations →

Map the Network Environment

Translate classified IT through releasable scale and outcomes.

Your blueprint should capture users, endpoints, servers, network devices, operating environments, tickets, incidents, vulnerabilities, backups, restores, availability, controls, accreditation, training, projects, and leadership without disclosing sensitive details.

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Section 01

Top Civilian Role Matches for Navy ITN

Computer Network Support Specialist Best direct transition

$47k – $128k

ITNs who diagnosed connectivity, supported users, maintained network hardware, resolved tickets, and restored services can target network support roles. Employers need user count, locations, devices, technologies stated at a releasable level, ticket volume, severity, resolution time, escalations, outages, and customer outcomes. Some ITNs will be ready for administration roles, while others need this bridge to gain commercial tooling and vendor experience. Clearance status does not replace technical evidence. Compare target postings for commercial platforms, cloud exposure, vendor credentials, and administrative authority.

Network supportTroubleshootingIncident responseUser service

Broad enterprise support benchmark

Source: BLS OEWS: Computer Network Support Specialists · Median $76,220 (May 2025) · $47,000 – $128,000 national 10th-to-90th-percentile range

Network and Systems Administrator

$63k – $155k

ITN work configuring networks, servers, accounts, operating systems, backups, permissions, monitoring, and availability maps directly to network and systems administration. Show the environment through users, endpoints, servers, sites, virtual or physical scope, changes, patches, backups, restores, incidents, uptime, and documentation. Civilian employers may expect cloud, automation, commercial identity, and vendor platforms beyond submarine systems. State privileged access and administrative authority accurately without revealing classified architecture. Compare target postings for commercial platforms, cloud exposure, vendor credentials, and administrative authority.

Systems administrationNetwork operationsBackupsAccess control

Enterprise infrastructure benchmark

Source: BLS OEWS: Network and Computer Systems Administrators · Median $99,130 (May 2025) · $63,000 – $155,000 national 10th-to-90th-percentile range

Information Security Analyst

$75k – $200k

ITNs with vulnerability assessment, security controls, incident handling, access review, configuration compliance, accreditation, logging, and user training may pursue security analyst roles. Employers need evidence of analysis, not just secure-environment exposure. Quantify assets, findings, remediation, incidents, response time, control assessments, audit results, and risk reduction. Classified access, clearance eligibility, Navy appointments, and platform permissions do not automatically transfer to a civilian employer or government contract. Compare target postings for commercial platforms, cloud exposure, vendor credentials, and administrative authority.

CybersecurityVulnerability managementSecurity controlsIncident analysis

High-demand cyber benchmark

Source: BLS OEWS: Information Security Analysts · Median $129,180 (May 2025) · $75,000 – $200,000 national 10th-to-90th-percentile range

Computer Network Architect

$80k – $203k

Senior ITNs who designed segments, planned capacity, evaluated changes, integrated systems, documented architectures, and led implementation may target network architect roles. Operations experience alone is not architecture experience. Employers need requirements, topology decisions, resilience, security, performance, cost, testing, migration, and stakeholder evidence. Quantify sites, users, devices, availability targets, projects, risks, and outcomes using releasable terms. Candidates without design ownership should target administrator or network engineer roles first. Compare target postings for commercial platforms, cloud exposure, vendor credentials, and administrative authority.

Network designResilienceIntegrationTechnical leadership

Advanced network design benchmark

Source: BLS OEWS: Computer Network Architects · Median $134,050 (May 2025) · $80,000 – $203,000 national 10th-to-90th-percentile range

IT Project Specialist

$62k – $168k

Senior ITNs with deployments, refreshes, migrations, accreditation packages, outage coordination, training, and cross-team implementation can pursue IT project specialist roles. Employers need a defined goal, schedule, stakeholders, resources, dependencies, risks, changes, testing, and measurable delivery. Quantify devices, users, sites, duration, downtime, defects, completion, and adoption. CAPM can translate formal concepts, but it does not replace proof that the candidate owned coordination beyond routine administration. Compare target postings for commercial platforms, cloud exposure, vendor credentials, and administrative authority.

IT projectsDeploymentsRisk coordinationStakeholder communication

Cross-industry project benchmark

Source: BLS OEWS: Project Management Specialists · Median $102,320 (May 2025) · $62,000 – $168,000 national 10th-to-90th-percentile range

Section 02

Transferable Strengths: What Network and Cyber Employers See

High-Availability Network Operations

Submarine systems demand disciplined monitoring, maintenance, escalation, backups, and restoration under constrained conditions. Translate users, endpoints, servers, devices, incidents, uptime, response time, recovery objectives, and service impact using releasable figures. Connect the evidence to availability and service restoration so the civilian value is immediate and defensible.

Secure Configuration and Access

Account control, hardening, configuration compliance, logging, vulnerability work, and accreditation support map to civilian security operations. Show assets, findings, remediation, control assessments, audits, and risk outcomes without claiming a transferable appointment or disclosing controlled details. Connect the evidence to remediation and measurable risk reduction so the civilian value is immediate and defensible.

End-to-End Troubleshooting

ITNs isolate faults across hardware, operating systems, services, networks, accounts, and user behavior. Quantify ticket volume, severity, first-contact resolution, mean time to restore, repeat incidents, escalations, and customer population. Connect the evidence to resolution speed and repeat-incident prevention so the civilian value is immediate and defensible.

Backup and Recovery Discipline

Protected systems require verified backups, restoration procedures, records, testing, and continuity planning. Translate data volume or system count, backup success, restore tests, recovery time, failures corrected, and documented readiness. Connect the evidence to tested recovery and continuity readiness so the civilian value is immediate and defensible.

Technical Training and Leadership

Senior ITNs train users and administrators, review work, manage standards, and plan improvements. Quantify learners, qualifications, pass rates, documentation, teams, projects, audit results, and availability. Separate leadership from formal management when authority was limited. Connect the evidence to technical adoption, audit performance, and team readiness so the civilian value is immediate and defensible.

Section 03

Common Mistakes Navy ITNs Make in the Civilian Job Search

Leading With Clearance Instead of Technical Evidence

A clearance can matter for eligible roles, but it does not prove network, systems, or cyber competence. Lead with users, devices, technologies, incidents, controls, availability, and outcomes. Describe clearance status accurately and let the employer verify eligibility and access. Correct this by placing clearance after the technical evidence and describing status precisely, then verify the claim against the target posting and source records.

Listing Platforms Without Scale or Results

A tool inventory does not show whether you administered, monitored, configured, troubleshot, or merely used a system. Add users, endpoints, servers, sites, changes, tickets, incidents, uptime, vulnerabilities, restoration time, and documented authority at a releasable level. Correct this by stating whether each platform was used, supported, configured, or administered, then verify the claim against the target posting and source records.

Jumping From Operations to Architect

Operating a complex network does not automatically establish architecture ownership. Architect roles require requirements, design decisions, resilience, security, performance, cost, migration, and stakeholder evidence. Target administration or engineering first when design proof is thin. Correct this by showing design decisions and migrations before targeting architect titles, then verify the claim against the target posting and source records.

Section 04

Credentials That Strengthen a Navy ITN Transition

Cisco Certified Network Associate

Cost $300 examination feeTime Preparation varies with routing, switching, services, and security experienceFormat 120-minute 200-301 CCNA exam

Cisco Certified Network Associate validates broad networking knowledge across access, IP connectivity, services, security fundamentals, and automation. It does not prove access to classified systems or replace employer-specific platform qualification.

Network administration signal · Strong bridge from submarine network operations

Cisco Certified Support Technician Cybersecurity

Cost $125 examination feeTime Entry-level preparation varies with security operations experienceFormat Cisco entry-level certification exam

Cisco Certified Support Technician Cybersecurity validates foundational security concepts, monitoring, endpoint, network, vulnerability, and incident-response knowledge. Experienced ITNs may outgrow it quickly, so compare it with the target posting before paying.

Foundational cyber signal · Best for candidates who need a civilian baseline credential

PMI Certified Associate in Project Management

Cost $225 PMI member or $300 nonmember exam feeTime Requires 23 hours of project-management education before the examFormat 150-question certification exam

PMI Certified Associate in Project Management can help senior specialists translate planning, schedules, resources, risk, documentation, and cross-team execution. It is optional for technical roles and does not replace evidence of project ownership.

Project execution signal · Useful for senior operators, planners, and team leads

Section 05

Resume Translation: From Navy ITN to Civilian Network Operations

Define users, infrastructure, administration, security controls, incidents, availability, recovery, projects, and measurable outcomes.

Before: Vague submarine network language

Maintained classified networks, supported users, administered systems, completed cyber requirements, and trained junior Information Systems Technicians.

After: Civilian network and cyber language that gets callbacks

Administered a high-availability network environment supporting [X] users, [X] endpoints, [X] servers, and [X] network devices across [X] operational locations. Completed [X] account, configuration, patch, backup, and change actions at [X]% compliance; resolved [X] monthly incidents with a [X]-minute median restoration time; remediated [X] vulnerability or control findings; and sustained [X]% service availability. Executed [X] verified backup or restore events, maintained accreditation and technical records, delivered training to [X] users or administrators, and led [X] deployments or upgrades without disclosing classified architecture or transferring Navy access authority. Separated operations, administration, security analysis, and project ownership so employers could match the correct role level.

The ITN Translation Formula

Military term	Civilian translation	Proof to show
Submarine local area network	high-availability enterprise network with users, endpoints, servers, switching, services, monitoring, and support	users, devices, sites, technologies, incidents, uptime, and restoration time
Information systems security duties	access control, secure configuration, vulnerability remediation, logging, control assessment, and audit support	assets, findings, remediations, incidents, controls, audits, and risk reduction
Network casualty response	incident triage, fault isolation, escalation, service restoration, root-cause review, and recurrence prevention	incidents, severity, systems, response time, downtime, root causes, and repeat rate
System backup and restore	data-protection operations, recovery testing, documentation, exception handling, and continuity readiness	systems, data volume, success rate, restore tests, recovery time, and failures corrected
IT qualification program	role-based technical training, competency assessment, remediation, authorization, and compliance tracking	learners, qualifications, pass rates, time to qualify, documentation, and audit results

Always quantify users, endpoints, servers, network devices, sites, tickets, incidents, vulnerabilities, controls, patches, backups, restores, uptime, restoration time, audits, projects, and personnel.

Sources checked July 18, 2026: NAVPERS 18068F Volume I, Change 106, BLS May 2025 OEWS tables, Cisco CCNA exam, Cisco CCST exam pricing, PMI CAPM requirements.

Section 06

Navy ITN Civilian Career FAQs

What is the most direct civilian job for a Navy ITN?

Network support specialist or network and systems administrator is usually the most direct path. Cybersecurity and architecture become realistic when the record proves security analysis or design ownership, not simply access to a secure network. Choose the level that matches actual administrative and design authority.

Does an ITN clearance transfer to a civilian employer?

No clearance or access should be described as automatically transferable. State current status accurately, avoid classified details, and let the government or sponsoring employer verify eligibility, need to know, access, and any required reinvestigation. Allow the sponsoring organization to verify status and access.

Should an experienced ITN take Cisco CCST before CCNA?

Not necessarily. CCST is an entry-level signal and may be redundant for candidates with strong civilian-readable experience. CCNA is a broader network credential. Compare target postings, current knowledge, and practice-test performance before paying. Use target-role gaps and practice results to choose the credential.

What should an ITN quantify on a civilian resume?

Quantify users, endpoints, servers, network devices, sites, incidents, vulnerabilities, patches, backups, restore tests, uptime, restoration time, audits, projects, and personnel trained. Keep architecture and mission details releasable. Keep classified architecture, missions, and security details out of the resume. Verify the requirement with the employer.

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CommandPath maps submarine networks, systems administration, security controls, incidents, backups, accreditation, support, documentation, projects, and leadership into realistic network, cyber, architecture, or IT operations targets.