Career and educating advice

[runningconfig]

I'm in need of some advice/motivation here, rant:

I've been working as a consultant in Windows related desktop support environments since college for the last 4-5 years. About 12 months ago I decided I was in need of some change. When I looked at my current skill set I was never exposed much to server stuff working in ITIL shops where roles are broken up so I thought a fresh start with new technologies would be an exciting approach. I've always been very interested in networking but never dove too deep in college so I decided to start working towards my CCNA. During my studies I approached my local manger through the consulting company and requested if I could go work with a new NOC project when I complete my studies. She said sure and that she could setup an interview with the lead when that time came. I completed my CCNA, completed the interview, they offered me the job but then my manger blocked the move as I was "too valuable in my current role". I was so frustrated, I stopped studying for a few months but kept applying to new jobs with no luck.

I'm mad with myself that I gave up so easily and stopped studying. The new year is among us and I find motivation once again to open the books and get back to where I left off.

But what should I do next, besides continue looking for work?

I'm going to review some of the CCNA stuff but I'm not sure what to study next. Should I go for additional certs or should I just study the protocols and keep playing with labs in GNS3? I don't see the point in having a bunch of certs and having very little work experience in the field.

Another step I took beginning in 2015 was moving my desktop/laptop to Linux Mint 17.1. I was hoping to increase my skill set by familiarizing myself with Linux and open more doors that could lead to networking roles. Does this make sense, or should I just focus on networking?

What about SDN. From what little I've read in the last few days this does appear to be the future of networking. If/when these technologies start to be deployed wouldn't it make a lot of what I've been studying irrelevant? Should I really focus on SDN as it matures and familiarize myself with related technologies?

I want to make sure I'm making the right decisions. I feel my future in IT is grim if I don't get out of these desktop roles.

Advice, suggestions?

 

[Eulogy]

During your CCNA studies, did you enjoy the lab work and material you were learning?
By "completed" your CCNA, do you mean coursework, of that you took and passed the exam for it?

Where I am, having a few years of general experience and a CCNA can get you a network administrator job at least. From there you'd be able to move up the ranks to senior level, engineer and eventually architect level stuff if that's the path you want to go down. All the while you'll pad your hands on experience with relevant book knowledge. If you want to tie closely in with the cisco ecosystem, then you'd likely get CCNP as your next step.

What areas of networking have you enjoying working on / studying? What areas have you disliked?

I'm not sure having Linux installed on a home laptop will buy you much headway for a job, but it can't hurt either, especially if you are actively learning and applying that knowledge.

Building a home lab can be very beneficial - either a virtual lab, or a hardware one.

 

[charold]

I don't know of how much help this will be to you, but take this for what it is.

I was in a very similar situation about 5 years ago. I was stuck doing more desktop support stuff, with not much/any room for advancement. I did basic networking, and some basic server and exchange tasks, but nothing you can't learn in an afternoon. I basically had learned almost everything I needed to know for the job in a year, but I was going on nearly 4 years with the company.

Anyways, I saw this job opening as an instructor at a local For-Profit College. I did some research, and it seemed like a decent place to work. I also knew a student there, who helped me by giving me a good recommendation. Mind you, I had never taught anything other than tutoring in my life, but I wanted out of my current position. I gave it a shot, I did a 15minute presentation/mock lecture in my 2nd interview, and landed the job. The company turned to shit (for-profit FTL), but I LOVED it, teaching that is. I had several students say I was the best teacher they had ever had, and constantly got some of the best certification rates out of all campuses.

I ended up getting a job later on (about 2 1/4 years later) with a consulting firm, and got my hands in Cisco networking, server migrations, and loads of other higher end equipment and technologies. It turns out the owner of that firm was the original IT Instructor at that college, and brought me in primarily because of that. Long story short, that helped me get the job I'm currently at expanding my skills more into Linux, backups/disaster recovery, and VMWare. Now my resume is quite well fleshed out, and I have many areas I could potentially dive into.

I say this all to say, sometimes you have to take risks. If I hadn't, I never would have found teaching to be my passion (and what I am going back to school for - except this time with a real college), and it helped me get the next job that really helped expand my skills beyond anything I would have imagined a few years prior. You never know the connections you're going to meet.

My advice would be, complete the CCNA (or just the CCENT at first [ICND1]), learn some Linux and server admin skills (Edx has some good Linux Courses I've heard), or this Linux From Scratch, and get your resume out there. Do this now, not later. You never know where you'll end up at. Sorry for the long winded response, but hopefully you get something out of it

 

[runningconfig]

During your CCNA studies, did you enjoy the lab work and material you were learning?

I loved it - every aspect of it.

By "completed" your CCNA, do you mean coursework, of that you took and passed the exam for it?

I purchased the books from Cisco labs, watched CBT videos and finished both CCENT exams for my CCNA.

What areas of networking have you enjoying working on / studying? What areas have you disliked?

I can't think of any area I liked more than the other. Most of the the topics in the CCNA path were new to me so nothing wasn't of interest.

I'm not sure having Linux installed on a home laptop will buy you much headway for a job, but it can't hurt either, especially if you are actively learning and applying that knowledge.

I had plans of purchasing Linux book as well - maybe one of the cert paths, LIPC, Linux +.

If you want to tie closely in with the cisco ecosystem, then you'd likely get CCNP as your next step.

Should I move forward with CCNP studies if I haven't really broke into a solid networking job? I'm not to concerned about working primarily with the Cisco ecosystem. I choose the CCNA because it seemed the most beneficial cert to help me get a job.

 

[runningconfig]

I don't know of how much help this will be to you, but take this for what it is.

I was in a very similar situation about 5 years ago. I was stuck doing more desktop support stuff, with not much/any room for advancement. I did basic networking, and some basic server and exchange tasks, but nothing you can't learn in an afternoon. I basically had learned almost everything I needed to know for the job in a year, but I was going on nearly 4 years with the company.

Anyways, I saw this job opening as an instructor at a local For-Profit College. I did some research, and it seemed like a decent place to work. I also knew a student there, who helped me by giving me a good recommendation. Mind you, I had never taught anything other than tutoring in my life, but I wanted out of my current position. I gave it a shot, I did a 15minute presentation/mock lecture in my 2nd interview, and landed the job. The company turned to shit (for-profit FTL), but I LOVED it, teaching that is. I had several students say I was the best teacher they had ever had, and constantly got some of the best certification rates out of all campuses.

I ended up getting a job later on (about 2 1/4 years later) with a consulting firm, and got my hands in Cisco networking, server migrations, and loads of other higher end equipment and technologies. It turns out the owner of that firm was the original IT Instructor at that college, and brought me in primarily because of that. Long story short, that helped me get the job I'm currently at expanding my skills more into Linux, backups/disaster recovery, and VMWare. Now my resume is quite well fleshed out, and I have many areas I could potentially dive into.

I say this all to say, sometimes you have to take risks. If I hadn't, I never would have found teaching to be my passion (and what I am going back to school for - except this time with a real college), and it helped me get the next job that really helped expand my skills beyond anything I would have imagined a few years prior. You never know the connections you're going to meet.

My advice would be, complete the CCNA (or just the CCENT at first [ICND1]), learn some Linux and server admin skills (Edx has some good Linux Courses I've heard), or this Linux From Scratch, and get your resume out there. Do this now, not later. You never know where you'll end up at. Sorry for the long winded response, but hopefully you get something out of it

Thanks for the response charold - really appreciate you sharing your experience.

Risk... I've been thinking of packing up and moving to a larger city where there would be a lot more job opportunities. I can't really imagine leaving all my friends and family but maybe this is what it will take. Leave for a few years until I get some solid experience then start applying for jobs back home.

 

[waderunner]

She said sure and that she could setup an interview with the lead when that time came. I completed my CCNA, completed the interview, they offered me the job but then my manger blocked the move as I was "too valuable in my current role".

So, I guess you could say she NOC-blocked you

The next time, In this situation, depending on how confident you feel in your job and your skillset, you could "threaten" (nicely, of course) to leave. "I really enjoy working here, but I feel it's really time to expand my responsibilities and experience level. This NOC position is just the kind of thing I want to pursue with my newly acquired skills, and so if the opportunity doesn't exist here, then I'll need to consider other options."

In other words, no business or firm ever wants to lose good people. And in my experience, companies will often respond positively to politely applied leverage. Or even impolitely applied leverage, depending on the situation.

 

[Eulogy]

Should I move forward with CCNP studies if I haven't really broke into a solid networking job? I'm not to concerned about working primarily with the Cisco ecosystem. I choose the CCNA because it seemed the most beneficial cert to help me get a job.

Personally, I'd say no to this. You can start getting a foundation and familiar with the topics you'll want to learn, but you'll want at least 6 months of good, hands-on, real world "work" with the stuff to help you learn and get the concepts at a practical level, beyond a book knowledge level.

Thanks for the response charold - really appreciate you sharing your experience.

Risk... I've been thinking of packing up and moving to a larger city where there would be a lot more job opportunities. I can't really imagine leaving all my friends and family but maybe this is what it will take. Leave for a few years until I get some solid experience then start applying for jobs back home.

Absolutely a good plan. Precisely what I did, in fact - I moved across the US (literally) for a new job, a "better" area for the path I wanted to go down, and leading the life I wanted. It took a few years to plant new roots, make new friends, and get my career to where I want - but it has happened. I'd suggest flushing out several areas, and visit them before doing any moving. Get a good week at least in your top 3 places and see if you like/dislike them. Then, once you have ones you like, apply to jobs in those areas. After you have a decent offer in hand, then make your move out. You may or may not ever end up back where you are now, but that may or may not be a bad thing .

 

[charold]

Should I move forward with CCNP studies if I haven't really broke into a solid networking job? I'm not to concerned about working primarily with the Cisco ecosystem. I choose the CCNA because it seemed the most beneficial cert to help me get a job.

I concur with Eulogy and say no to this as well. One, it'll distract you more from trying to get a job in the field once you go through your other CCNA studies. And two, you really should be doing this with real world experience in tow.

Where are you looking at moving to? It's not a bad idea, but like Eulogy pointed out, trying to visit the place and figure out whether you would like it longer term would be ideal. My buddy in NC tells me there's quite a few jobs in Charlotte, NC area, and the bigger cities around there. Cost of living is pretty reasonable (depending on how close/in the city you are).

 

[StrongPurpose]

Thank you for sharing your thoughts.
The direction that you should head in will depend on what your long term goal is.
If you long term goal is management then you should start focusing on business and leadership. If you plan on being an admin for ever then you should dig deeper into technical details.

With your current experience you can easily shift into any area, all you have to do is have a definite goal and keep working towards it. Focus!

 

[Dead Parrot]

If the boss that blocked your new position didn't at least offer a matching pay increase, that is a clear signal you are likely stuck in your current position/pay level in that company unless you can play the political games needed to bypass that boss.

As for study suggestions, include some security classes. It doesn't take much reading to see how important securing networks has become. Consider taking the Security+ test after you either take some classes or do some self guided study. The Security + cert isn't always well thought of, but some HR filters list it as a networking job requirement/bonus credit. And it requires enough study for you to discover if computer security is a field you are interested in.

 

[runningconfig]

Thanks for all the responses - I've been on vacation for a few days so I replaced my laptop with a pint glass.

With your current experience you can easily shift into any area, all you have to do is have a definite goal and keep working towards it. Focus!

Thanks for the encouragement StrongPurpose!

If the boss that blocked your new position didn't at least offer a matching pay increase...

Its obvious they don't have my goals in mind at all - even after making it clear this is where I wanted to shift my career focus. I'll continue to look for network related jobs elsewhere. I was thinking I could start emailing some schools or something and try to offer my time as a volunteer if I could work with their network teams. Has anyone ever success with this early in their careers? I know they told us to try this while we were in college but I don't remember anyone having any success.

I was considering studying for the Security + or CCNA Security exam. The Security + exam covers a lot of material that I'm not that familiar with and would find interesting. The Cisco Security book covers a lot of Cisco's offerings which is to be expected. If I was working full time with a Cisco shop this would make more sense. I don't really want to focus on any single vendor until I find a position that needs me to focus on that vendor, I already have my CCNA, this will do for now.

If anyone else could recommend any material I should familiarize myself or advice on how to get some experience while I search for work that would be great.

 

[charold]

I was considering studying for the Security + or CCNA Security exam. The Security + exam covers a lot of material that I'm not that familiar with and would find interesting. The Cisco Security book covers a lot of Cisco's offerings which is to be expected. If I was working full time with a Cisco shop this would make more sense. I don't really want to focus on any single vendor until I find a position that needs me to focus on that vendor, I already have my CCNA, this will do for now.

If anyone else could recommend any material I should familiarize myself or advice on how to get some experience while I search for work that would be great.

The Security+ Exam, at least 5years ago when I took it, was a joke. You could honestly study for a long weekend, and pass it the next day with exam crams. It looks good on the resume, however, and I've had multiple HR reps bring up that I had it! So it's not a bad idea, and it's a cheap test to boot (at least it was back then).

I've done volunteer work before on several occasions with students, and they worked well. They were never networking/business volunteer situations though. One thing to keep in mind, is that even volunteering, you are costing the company money. The time spent training/teaching you to get up to snuff, is costing them time/money. I have never heard of anything really getting into those kinds of positions, other than some paid internships that turned into full time positions later on. I wouldn't hold my breath is what I'm saying.

You are better off trying to network (people wise), and see who you can connect with. Maybe learn some Linux, and get into some LUGs (Linux User Groups). I live in Lansing, and there's a Lansing LUG. Great place to network. That would be my recommendation.

 

[Tee]

Certifications are worthless, if you can read a book you can pass a test.

You need businesses skills and common sense, and throw in a little bit of socialization.