Posted on Thursday, 23rd February 2006 by sean
I got a call from someone in the company yesterday whose husband is getting retrained and is considering a career in network administration. They asked if I could meet with him to tell him about the career. I’m happy to, but what do I say?
Network admin is such an inaccurate term. In both the places I’ve worked so far the network guys end up having their hands in everything because they’re the ones with the most aptitude for figuring things out. I mean three weeks ago our Notes server died and with four server guys watching us, the network guys rebuilt it. Just because it ran Linux and it was outside their comfort zone.
People often joke that my kids were probably born with a router in their hands, but I often think they should do something else. This is probably a standard parental desire to want better for one’s offspring, but would I wish this career on another? After all, I can’t imagine doing anything else.
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Posted in General | Comments (2)
April 19th, 2006 at 11:13 am
Love the comments and I want to add one thing as to the career counselling thing.
I am a tech instructor and teach Cisco and MS. I get asked quite often to talk with prospective students who are looking at career changes and wondering if they should pursue generic certs like CompTia A+, Net+, etc…, MCSA/MCSE or CCNA. Every time, without fail I will tell them to get the generic certs and then move to MS.
While CCNA is defined as Cisco’s “entry level” certification, it is not designed to be pursued by nubies.
Someone with a CCNA is supposed to be the guy who can rebuild the Unix/Linux box, understand why the MS DHCP server is not doing its job right, troubleshoot the Unix DNS and rebuild the packet filters on the Firewall. And then maybe she can get some lunch before that 1:00 Desktop migration meeting she has to go to.
I very clearly lay out for my students in class the fact that they are expected to be Network gurus “From the Start”. This is not a cert you should study for if you are changing careers.
Please don’t water down our credentials any more with testers who can pass this test and then go into the real world and say to me things like a fellow instructor said the other day. “I am amazed at how much Microsoft stole from Unix. Did you know that Unix had the NSLOOKUP command before Microsoft”?
A complete lack of understanding of the OSI model is not what we need from our fellow cert holders.
Sorry to get off on a rant there but the point I am trying to make is to let them know that CCNA is not a place to start into the field but rather, a long term goal.
Thanks for listening.
June 20th, 2006 at 11:40 pm
I have to respect your point of view – there are too many paper gurus in this field. But, I have to disagree with your recommendations to your students. I have been in the networking field for about 8 years now. I began out of the blue – decided I wanted a career change. Picked up a book and started reading – and started taking cert exams. I also ambitiously found an avenue into the field and ended up getting a cisco class and MCSE track out of the deal. But my real education has been self taught by reading manuals, or cisco press books, or … blogs even. I’m constantly searching online for answers to questions – referencing RFCs etc. etc. Regardless, if certifications are the impetus and measuring stick one needs to dig into the material and learn it – so be it. But one should not necessarily expect to get a job with large responsibiltiy and pay check based on just certifications – unless of course they hold a CCIE – that helps. And that, is what I am currently pursuing – as soon as I recert my CCNP next month. Point is – to do well in this field the important thing is to dig in and start learning – it is a constant process – the field changes to quickly. Get hands on through simulators, or, if you can afford it, buying used equipment. Start with your CCNA if you want – but that is just the tip of the ice berg. Move right into your CCNP – read read read and practice practice practice – you will learn it.