[NewMeta]

I'm new to the forum and always wanted to help give back to the community that has helped me out over the years, I did some basic searches on here for this and couldn't find anything so I guess this is my opportunity give back.

Why Become a Network Engineer?

The main pros are obvious:

• High Demand - Every company needs at least one but will most likely hire more the bigger the company. Companies such as ISP's are full of them and always looking for more as they expand, which will happen since the internet is always growing. You literally can't go wrong with the longevity of this career, there will always be a need for them, your job will never be redundant. Within the field you can specialize which means there is demand for engineers that specialize in certain aspects of the field so you can easily carve a niche that makes you even more valuable.
• Money - Fulltime work starts as low as £15,000 a year after which the sky is the limit. Generally the higher end engineers will get paid £60,000-£80,000 a year in big companies but there is also contract work which can net you even more money for shorter periods of time. Not everyone is in need of a fulltime engineer and will often look for engineers to do small jobs for them lasting X amount of months. This is often believed to be the gold mine in network engineering because these contract based jobs tend to pay a lot more if you can juggle multiple jobs or at least keep them going through out the year. However personally I opt for the stability and comfort of my fulltime work.
• Potential to work from home - VPN solutions allow for access to internal company resources that you can access from anywhere with a internet connection. A lot of companies will allow you to work from home or work remotely from wherever you like. If you are an independent engineer this also means you can take contracted jobs from wherever you like and simply work on them from the comfort of your own home.
  

OK What do I Need to Do?

If you are young and reading this, here is the first thing you SHOULD NOT do:

DO NOT GO TO UNIVERSITY/COLLEGE!!!!!

I think this applies to any computer science related course but more so to this. Employers know that university degrees are useless in this field, if you want to be a step ahead of all the other losers (like me) who did a degree you want to do one of the following (listed by priority):

• The CCNA - Make this your priority. This is THE industry standard in entry level network engineering jobs (not a related degree). This is what employers will look at in order to even begin assessing your suitability to a job. A quick Google will tell you all you need to know, but a quick run down is as such; the CCNA stands for Cisco Certified Network Associate. Cisco is the industry leader in industrial routers and switches, all companies most likely own Cisco kit so you need to know how to work on this. The CCNA course will teach you the fundamentals of networking along with how to work on the Cisco operating system. If you are willing to pay for a course on this it could take anywhere between 6 months to a year to pass (a lot less than 3 years in a degree).
  
  However...if you use Google there are plenty of free ways to learn the course material (which is what I did), overall it took me 9 months to pass the cert on free course material. The exam itself is around $200 (again a lot less than a 3 year degree) and has a fluctuating pass mark based on the amount of applicants able to pass the exam, it hovers around 80% but when I took it I had to score over 82.5%. The good thing is the exam is multiple choice and you get the results as soon as you finish the exam, however it is still an extrmely hard exam with some questions including simulated networks with a simulated cisco OS you must use to configure devices. Don't be surprised if you fail the first time despite being extremely well prepared, it took me till my second try to pass the exam and I only narrowly scratched the pass rate (I got 83%, pass rate was 82.5%).
• The JNCIA - Cisco's main competitor and slowly picking up steam in the industry over the years is Juniper and this is their related entry level certificate. This is a much easier variation of the CCNA but is still not worth going for due to Juniper not being as big in industry as Cisco. The good news is that the exam is a piece of piss to pass if you managed to pass the CCNA or even get close to passing it. After learning the basics of the OS you can easily pass this exam, the pass rate when I took it was around 60% and I got over 90%. It is also considerably cheaper, think maybe $80-100 making this a worthy boost to your CV to stay just that extra step ahead of your competition. Low investment, high payoff.
• Apprentice/Volunteer - Most places will ask for experience in field. I'd recommend volunteering at a local ISP or business that has a network department but if you can get an apprenticeship even better (especially if you work on your CCNA during your stay). This way you are also exposed to the physical devices and how they are setup and work, it helps you visualize the amount of maintenance and work needed to keep everything in working order.
• Learn Basic Cabling - Something that didn't get taught to me on the CCNA course and while volunteering is basic telecommunications cabling. Learn how to create a CAT5 cable (straight through and crossover), a loopback RJ45 and even a basic electrical plug (live, earth, neutral) just for good measure. Learn how to setup a console connection using a "rollover cable" aka console cable. Usually you will need a console cable (light blue flat cable) along with a serial to USB adapter since most hosts do not have a serial port. Learn how to console into a device with this cable.
  

All the above should help you have a pretty solid all around CV by this point and it will only take you a year if you work at it. Once again, a lot less work than going to college/university and a lot less money spent, plus you aren't in debt.

Do I need anything? Give me some resources!

You will probably go about finding your own as there is a lot to choose from, as you will soon find out there is a mini-industry in and of itself dedicated to the learning of the CCNA and other network engineering fundamentals. Here are some exceptional resources and tools you should be aware about:

• A Home Lab - You can get second hand industrial equipment on ebay, just search Cisco to see what's currently on offer. Always check that the devices you buy come with some line cards and the ports you need. Generally you can have a lot of fun and get a lot done with 2 switches and 2 routers, having physical access to devices will also teach you how to set them up properly.
• Cisco Packet Tracer - Available to students of the Cisco curriculum on their website for free. You can setup a virtual network of cisco equipment on this, however only a portion of the OS is currently on here. The good news is it has everything you need to pass the CCNA, any certification beyond that though will be hit and miss (meaning you might have to get your own home lan).
  
  Problem is you will not have access to it if you are not a student....unless you have exceptional Google skills, which I'm sure most of you do (hint hint).
• GNS3 - A free application (http://www.gns3.com/) that allows you to create your own virtual network using actual operating systems from Cisco and Juniper. This is good because you get the full OS, but you will also need access to downloading the full OS that can only be obtained by having student or business accounts on the Cisco or Juniper websites. Which can once again be overcome with exceptional Google skills, I'm sure you are getting the idea here.
• Wireshark - https://www.wireshark.org/ This is industry standard for packet captures on networks, the visualization softwares I just mentioned above have built in ones but you will need this to analyse packets on a real network. Have a play around with it and watch some youtube tutorials, it is a good learning aid if you have a home lab.
• Braindumps - A little birdy told me that some assholes take Cisco and Juniper exams and remember the questions to compile in PDFs and sell them on the internet. Worst of all is that if you have decent skills with Google you can get these for free...just terrible.
  

If you got through this wall of text it should give you enough to consider and look into. I didn't want to get into too much detail but even then I've ended up writing a hell of a lot more than I intended. Let me know if there is anything more specific you need to know.

Disclaimer: I've been only 3 years in industry and consider myself at a intermediate level.

[Fast Eddie]

Great datasheet. After you passed your CCNA, how difficult was it to find your first job? And once you found it, was the prep you had done to pass the CCNA sufficient to be proficient at the job and handle the random emergencies and troubleshooting that you encountered?

[NewMeta]

(08-11-2015 05:51 PM)Fast Eddie Wrote:  

Great datasheet. After you passed your CCNA, how difficult was it to find your first job? And once you found it, was the prep you had done to pass the CCNA sufficient to be proficient at the job and handle the random emergencies and troubleshooting that you encountered?

I had a lot of interviews straight out the door for low income entry level work and got my current job 1 month after I initially passed my CCNA.

It will be luck and depends on how much time you put into looking for jobs and stuff but the demand is there. I provide network security for other larger companies and some of the morons I have to deal with on a day to day basis shows just how far you can get with basic network knowledge, some people in the field are actually clueless and just blagging their way through it.

It depends on what type of role you end up filling, most providers such as ISPs and network support companies have a tiered helpdesk system. Usually 3 levels where if you are doing entry level work you will be at L1/L2, should you not be able to solve the issue you simply escalate it to L3 where someone better than you will take it over.

So yeah don't worry about not being able to respond to emergencies or not being able to troubleshoot issues, I don't think a company is stupid enough to put all their faith in someone who has just passed their CCNA.

Remember the CCNA is the entry level cert. It implies a great deal of knowledge but there are further certs you can get which would imply you are at a higher skill level either in general or in specific fields.

E.g. after taking the CCNA you can branch off and take CCNA-Security, CCNA-VOIP, CCNA-Wireless and more, or you can take the CCNP which is the next tier up of skill. The jump between the CCNA and the CCNP is so large you will need maybe 3 years in industry to even start considering it, so don't worry about that just yet.

[Brisey]

When I was doing some network stuff about 10 years ago, employers valued experience more than the CCNA. After I passed it didn't really open any doors for me.
In the last 5 years I've seen entry level jobs for admin/networks get offshored and handled from Eastern Europe/India/China.
There will always be demand for the 3rd level guys, I've known some CCIEs make big money.

Cisco aren't as big as they once were, there are some other big players around.

[NewMeta]

(08-12-2015 09:43 AM)Brisey Wrote:  

When I was doing some network stuff about 10 years ago, employers valued experience more than the CCNA. After I passed it didn't really open any doors for me.
In the last 5 years I've seen entry level jobs for admin/networks get offshored and handled from Eastern Europe/India/China.
There will always be demand for the 3rd level guys, I've known some CCIEs make big money.

Cisco aren't as big as they once were, there are some other big players around.

Hence why I volunteered at a local ISP and recommended it above. Experience over the CCNA only if you have accomplished stuff that would otherwise demonstrate competence at networking. At least over here we look first at qualifications and then experience but this is a debatable subject.

In terms of their competition it's why I mention Juniper, the JNCIA, while not as well regarded as the CCNA, is still a great boost to a CV because it shows you have worked on other types of OS's up and coming in the industry.

I've actually since begun specialising in Juniper for the company I work for mostly because that's what they assigned to me so I know where you are coming from in the grand scheme of things.

Will the CCNA get you the job on its own? Hell no. The more you can put in your CV the better, above is a foundation to get your foot in the door and all of it can be obtained in a shorter period of time than going to college/university.

[kitlolz123]

Hey OP, if you don't mind me asking... Do you work in NYC? Heard of Mindshift technologies before? Luckily I'm working there as an intern this summer and I understood your whole data sheet because it is similar to what I've learned from the guys I work with. Thanks for the resources, definitely will look into it. In this field, I can't agree more with how clueless people are about networking stuff...

[NewMeta]

(08-12-2015 11:35 PM)kitlolz123 Wrote:  

Hey OP, if you don't mind me asking... Do you work in NYC? Heard of Mindshift technologies before? Luckily I'm working there as an intern this summer and I understood your whole data sheet because it is similar to what I've learned from the guys I work with. Thanks for the resources, definitely will look into it. In this field, I can't agree more with how clueless people are about networking stuff...

I work in the UK currently from Newcastle and no I have not heard of them.

I had a similar experience where I did a student placement after my first year of university at a networking company. One of the guys I worked under told me to quit uni and get a CCNA, I didn't believe him because I was brainwashed by the educational system and I proceeded to waste the next 2 years of my life.

I massively regret not listening to him, didn't help that he in general was a massive prick to me, if he was more sincere maybe I'd have believed him. I don't know, was probably going to stick with uni regardless at that point, stupid brainwashing.

[IvanDrago]

If you are just starting out, I would recommend working for a VAR or consulting company for a couple of years. Many places will pay for your certs as the company needs them for their partner requirements.

I did the consulting game for a few years. I got the crap kicked out of me but I got to see just about every major metro area in the US and Canada and the certs look great on the resume.

[flanders]

Thanks for the datasheet, this is a career path I am considering.
Is there anything new to update for 2018 since this datasheet was written or is the whole thing relevant as it is?

[netguy68]

(03-10-2018 04:00 PM)flanders Wrote:  

Thanks for the datasheet, this is a career path I am considering.
Is there anything new to update for 2018 since this datasheet was written or is the whole thing relevant as it is?

I don't have much time right this second (because it's Saturday and I'm in the office swearing at Cisco right now...) but here are a couple of thoughts, at least from an Enterprise networking perspective:

1) Certifications get your foot in the door in a lot of places, but they are rapidly becoming a marketing tool - for instance, Cisco now has about 20% of their test questions on "upcoming tech" that is put in the test by the Marketing department. I know quite a few CCIE's that have stopped doing recertifications because the tests no longer represent everyday reality. But with that said, certs are a great way to show that you have some skilles.

2) You can't go wrong with a lab for learing the basics. GNS3 is an awesome tool for this. Back 16 years ago I had 10K worth of gear in a physical lab that covered most of the tech out there (from Cisco), but today you just can't do that - the new Cisco enterprise level gear is horrendously expensive, difficult to power / run / acquire, and requires a big yearly spend on SmartNet to get access to features. GNS3 is a way better option, or if you are in Cisco land, their VRL product works in a very similar way.

3) SD-Whatever (LAN, WAN, etc) is coming. The companies are promoting the crap out of it. It's basically networking with a mouse, instead of brains and a keyboard (at least on the Enterprise side - I'll explain that in a sec). Be ready for it - it's a different way of building networks that tie you in to a specific vendor.

4) Learn coding - specifically learning Python would be my recommendation. A lot of newer systems are going to be managed programmatically, and python is probably the most used out there, either by itself or with something like Ansible. For very small networks, you can easily run up to a 100 or 150 locations manually, but scripting is incredible useful, and if you go bigger, or are involved in big Enterprise networking, having some coding chops is going to be important to you. Udemy has some good courses on python & networking, or python & ansibile for networking.

5) Enterprise versus Public / Internet services - Enterprise networks are the bread and butter of companies like Cisco and Juniper, as well as Carriers, but if you are working larger scale environments, they shun big vendors like Cisco for a lot of reasons. Companies like Amazon, Google and Facebook are making and using their own gear. See #4 - coding is important. As is thinking differently about what you are doing. Enterprise networks may go this way eventually too - separating the data plane from the control plane and simplifying what the gear is doing. Once you have a base of networking knowledge, you may be able to switch back and forth, but some of the things that you do in the enterprise space doesn't really translate into larger public network environmnets, and vice versa. For example, public style companies doing large data frequently don't deal with the network in small offices that are part of an enterprise, and enterprise network teams rarely are dealing with large scale redundant dark fiber and controllers. Be aware there are differences, and in some cases specialities to doing networking.

6) The "Cloud" - networking with cloud providers such as AWS and Azure is really different than doing transport or enterprise networking. It's really been designed by developers, it's not using hardware, and it's not managed the same way as stuff in your own environments. But it is a hot market, and there are some classes out there on it as well (they are really pushing people to move to the cloud right now, even as some of the tech people in the same companies are finding issues like latency in applications becoming an issue).

7) Security - always be thinking of security, because in general the people designing the applications and even the infosec team are going to be dumping stuff on you, and they for the most part aren't that on the ball.

Networks are the basis for almost all the tech in IT at some point. It's the foundation that you build systems and applications on. Most of the very high level networking folks that I know have a varied background, having done everything from help desk to running servers, possibly even application development, and it makes them incredibly valuable team members due to the broad base of knowledge of IT systems.

When I'm hiring network engineers, depending on the level that I'm hiring them at, I like to look for more than just certifications (I know a Cisco CCIE that doesn't know how to make network cables...), I look for people that have a tough skin, a good brain and understand troubleshooting and cause / effect. If I'm bringing in an entry level network engineer, I like to bring them in from a help desk position, or possibly operations team position, and then start training them - basic networking (CCNA), more advanced networking (engaging them to think synergystically about the systems or designs for what is being done), get them to start to understand the tech running on the network (for instance, get them basic MS server certifications or something like Red Hat) so that they can help determining issues, and then we go from there - Firewalls, Logging, redundancy, etc.

I hope that helped and didn't discourage. I love doing networking and always learning new tech, even though most of my time is spent in meetings these days...

[This Is Trouble]

I'll add something to this.

I started off in SAN.

I knew the right person. I walked in and got the job, they stuck me through an 8-week bootcamp and that was that. No certs needed or anything. At 21 years old.

I never had much of an interesting in networking, as I liked the SAN side of my house. But, several of the people that were hired and went through the bootcamp with me expressed an interest in the networking side of the house (my company also sold Cisco), and they were given all the CCNA training and attempts that they wanted.

Storage is too complex and too tied to specific vendors. But if you get your foot in the door with the right vendor, and show the skills to branch into other areas of expertise, many of the high-end vendors will cut a check for whatever the hell it takes to get you CCNA certified.