Unemployed? Good at Networking? Let's Talk!

cyr0n_k0r said:
You hit the nail on the head.
OP, you might find a single guy that will do all that but he will be so burned out after 8-12 months that you'll probably lose him.

You need to think about long term retention.
split the job into a junior and senior role. At the interview for the junior admin make sure he sounds like he is hungry for more networking experience and would do well to shadow your senior guy (the CCNP) around all the time.

You might feel like you're overpaying thinking to yourself "why does it always take 2 guys to do that" when they are racking switches or doing configs. But your junior guy is soaking up all that CCNP knowledge and getting amazing on the job training. He will love you and love the job because he is learning

Then after a few months when your senior guy starts to get antsy and needs a few days of vacation outside Kentucky your junior guy will know enough to keep things up (barring anything catastrophic) and will again love you for giving him that kind of responsibility.
Click to expand...

+1 to this good idea
 
cyr0n_k0r said:
You hit the nail on the head.
OP, you might find a single guy that will do all that but he will be so burned out after 8-12 months that you'll probably lose him.

You need to think about long term retention.
split the job into a junior and senior role. At the interview for the junior admin make sure he sounds like he is hungry for more networking experience and would do well to shadow your senior guy (the CCNP) around all the time.

You might feel like you're overpaying thinking to yourself "why does it always take 2 guys to do that" when they are racking switches or doing configs. But your junior guy is soaking up all that CCNP knowledge and getting amazing on the job training. He will love you and love the job because he is learning

Then after a few months when your senior guy starts to get antsy and needs a few days of vacation outside Kentucky your junior guy will know enough to keep things up (barring anything catastrophic) and will again love you for giving him that kind of responsibility.
Click to expand...

+1 as well.
 
Holy buckets at the requirements. You think one networking person will be able to adequately support all that? How did you get to where you are now? You shouldn't have let your last guy go:p

Where I work we have about the same numbers for requirements (minus the VOIP phones, we still have traditional PBX type phone systems) and we have 3-4 Networking people, though the company's two main datacenters are like 1500 miles apart so local staffing is important.
 
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Sounds like a good offer if the pay is in the 75k 85k range. You will also need a senior network engineer though; somebody with 10 years plus experience.
 
I live in georgetown and work in winchester. I would apply but I LOVE MY JOB and my company.

Ill pass this along my local buddies if you PM a way to have them submit their resume outside of the forum...

Im trying to think of who this is in Lexington...sounds like Ashland Oil, if it is dont forward me your info lol, 3 of my buddies recently quit there. HAHA

edit: after re-reading that is a crap ton of responsibility for one guy...and if you hire one of my friends I get a commission of free pizza and beer at Pazzos
 
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cyr0n_k0r said:
Then after a few months when your senior guy starts to get antsy and needs a few days of vacation outside Kentucky your junior guy will know enough to keep things up (barring anything catastrophic) and will again love you for giving him that kind of responsibility.
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Not just that, if you only have one networking guy, what happens when he wants vacation time? :p Kinda hard to let him go on vacation if you don't have anyone else watching your network. Heh.
 
I live in Carlisle, 30 minutes from Lexington. I wish I had more experience with Cisco equipment...
 
Wow, thanks for all of the good suggestions.

First off let me say I'm sorry because I don't think I was entirely clear on the requirements. We already have a team of 3 very highly skilled Windows admins. They're responsible for all of the servers, VMs and the SAN.

What I need is a dedicated network guy. I have one right now that is mostly responsible for the VOIP phones, and other telecommunications throughout the company. He does have good general network experience and does help out during vacations and other things but, he's stretched kinda thin with his other duties. Once I get another person then I can get projects started and be able to justify another junior person.

As far as the network itself goes, it is not "falling apart" or "barely holding on." It can be best and honestly described as a small network that was constantly added on to over the years with no though for design or growth. It __is__ working but when you look at it there are many things that make you go "What the hell???"

(For example: A cable comes out of a switch, plugs into a router, from there to another router, from there into a third router then, back into the same switch)

Will there be some long nights? Sure. You'll get that at any IT job. Will you be working 80 a week after week? Only if you want to but I won't be. Been there, done that. If there are late nights I'll be standing right next to them helping as much as I can or at least supplying beer and pizza.
 
thefordmccord said:
I live in Carlisle, 30 minutes from Lexington. I wish I had more experience with Cisco equipment...
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Lol....one of the network admins I work with is from carlisle. His father sold the land for the golf course there. I haven't made it to the dairy chair lately....need to go!
 
thedude0901 said:
(For example: A cable comes out of a switch, plugs into a router, from there to another router, from there into a third router then, back into the same switch)
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:eek: I would love, LOVE to see the configs of those devices, just out of curiosity sake. He he.
 
thedude0901 said:
As far as the network itself goes, it is not "falling apart" or "barely holding on." It can be best and honestly described as a small network that was constantly added on to over the years with no though for design or growth. It __is__ working but when you look at it there are many things that make you go "What the hell???"

(For example: A cable comes out of a switch, plugs into a router, from there to another router, from there into a third router then, back into the same switch)
Click to expand...
With zero documentation.
The problem with this kind of job/network is you constantly run into: fix one thing and it breaks another that was stupidly done in the first place.
Next thing you know your working 60 hours strait to get things to just barely work.
Wash rinse repeat.

Then once you have it all fixed after a year and everything is running smooth a manager someplace says hey why are we paying this guy so much if nothing ever breaks all he does is stare at his computer all day.
Lets get someone for half as much.
2 years down the road the network is all messed up again.
Wash rinse repeat.
 
thedude0901 said:
Wow, thanks for all of the good suggestions.

First off let me say I'm sorry because I don't think I was entirely clear on the requirements. We already have a team of 3 very highly skilled Windows admins. They're responsible for all of the servers, VMs and the SAN.

What I need is a dedicated network guy. I have one right now that is mostly responsible for the VOIP phones, and other telecommunications throughout the company. He does have good general network experience and does help out during vacations and other things but, he's stretched kinda thin with his other duties. Once I get another person then I can get projects started and be able to justify another junior person.

As far as the network itself goes, it is not "falling apart" or "barely holding on." It can be best and honestly described as a small network that was constantly added on to over the years with no though for design or growth. It __is__ working but when you look at it there are many things that make you go "What the hell???"

(For example: A cable comes out of a switch, plugs into a router, from there to another router, from there into a third router then, back into the same switch)

Will there be some long nights? Sure. You'll get that at any IT job. Will you be working 80 a week after week? Only if you want to but I won't be. Been there, done that. If there are late nights I'll be standing right next to them helping as much as I can or at least supplying beer and pizza.
Click to expand...

Do you have any incentives for people who want to go on training? i.e. If they want to take some additional training for what not do you pay for partial/full? I know some places I've been, they've paid for half the cost of the training, which I'm loving since SANS courses cost an arm and maybe two legs.
 
bink said:
Lol....one of the network admins I work with is from carlisle. His father sold the land for the golf course there. I haven't made it to the dairy chair lately....need to go!
Click to expand...

Hell. Whats his name? I might know him.
 
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