The Internetworkers Foundation is a nonprofit dedicated to developing the next generation of network engineers through mentorship, education support and community.
Get Involved Learn MoreBehind every route, every peering session and every packet that lands where it should, there's an engineer who made it work. The Internetworkers Foundation exists to make sure there's a next generation of them.
Born out of the US Network User Association community, a grassroots network of about three dozen local groups and several thousand practicing engineers across the United States, the Foundation has one purpose: lower the barriers between talented people and careers in network engineering.
Cost shouldn't decide who gets certified. Geography shouldn't decide who gets mentored. And nobody should have to figure out this industry alone.
Nearly every organization depends on networks, but the people who know how to build and run them are harder to find than they used to be. Experienced engineers are leaving the field faster than new ones enter it, and the path in has become steeper. Certifications are expensive. Mentors are scarce. And much of the hands-on knowledge that once transferred on the job went away with the NOC seats that taught it.
That gap narrows when working engineers bring the next generation up behind them. Much of this already happens informally at local meetings and in hallway conversations. The Internetworkers Foundation gives the industry a structured and tax-advantaged way to support it.
Small groups of emerging engineers paired with experienced practitioners. Careers are built through people, not just certifications. Cohorts build the peer network alongside the mentor relationship.
Direct reimbursement for certifications and training so the cost of an exam or a course never decides who gets to level up.
Help getting to the user groups, conferences and events where this industry gets together. Showing up is the most important half, we cover the other half.
The Foundation is actively forming. If you want to be part of it, whether as a mentor, a partner or a supporter, we want to hear from you.
hello@internetworkers.org