Want Networking career

Hello I just completed my CCNP: Routing & Switching last week, it took me a month to get. I have 6 month experience as a network technician but the company got bought out. I have 5 years experience with linux/data-center work. I really want to get into back into networking now and maybe go back to college.

I have some people calling but I have a bleak outlook they all seem to want more than a CCNP (they all say "cool CCNP so when are you getting your CCIE"...like CCNP is a cakewalk) & 4 years of networking experience and they want me to know just about everything. I'm starting to learn juniper but starting to believe I might have to go back to data-center work which pays a lot less and not what I want to do with my career.

I really need a guide on how to get into networking, If someone is willing to teach me networking I would be willing to relocate. I live a couple miles from Washington D.C., normally I would figure this would be perfect place but everywhere wants a top secret and not willing to start TS process. Besides I'm not sure I want a TS job.

Please help I am very positive now but I want to stay that way, I know after a month I will probably be depressed, so I want to start down the right path.

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Comments

networker050184

Honestly you are already in one of the best IT markets in the country so relocation probably isn't going to get you a ton more opportunities. What I would work on is resume and interviewing skills. You can't instantly make yourself more experienced or knowledgeable, but you can sell yourself much better.

OfWolfAndMan

networker050184 wrote: »

Honestly you are already in one of the best IT markets in the country so relocation probably isn't going to get you a ton more opportunities. What I would work on is resume and interviewing skills. You can't instantly make yourself more experienced or knowledgeable, but you can sell yourself much better.

This guy says it how it is. Interviewing experience and a touch up on the resume is your best bet. With those credentials, assuming you know your stuff, and the job market in DC, you shouldn't be waiting for too long. Don't limit yourself to a certain job though like "not getting a TS". You have to be a little flexible.

shodown

There is something else wrong if you have a CCNP live in DC and can't find a job. I have a CCNP and I don't even check my email or answer my phone I get so many calls for jobs. If it took you a month to get your CCNP you should really know your stuff as its all pretty fresh in your head.

lookingfornetworkjob

networker050184 yes I'm sure your right, just for some reason I'm always paranoid when I don't have a job. I put on a good face when interviewed & good social skills.
@shodown....the way to find the networking jobs in DC is? I use monster, careerbuilder, ziprecruiter, my friends, and the temp agencies I used before. I just started the start of the week. I have one good lead but they want juniper experience and I am learning it but I'm afraid they will want good experience with junOS. Everywhere wants expert knowledge in just about everything I want to learn about.
I have a lab, 3 switches and a router plus a ASA + pix. I'm going to start training with GNS3 my JunOS...trying to find the time for learning this ASA. Please help shodown.
Update...I think this ASA & pix are dead.

lookingfornetworkjob

Okay then what am I doing wrong then shodown? I use careerbuilder, monster, indeed, linkedin, friends, temp agencies....again I just started this week. I just see this applications with want of Nexus, ASA, JunOS, F5 load-balancers....etc..and everything else that I've never been trained on but would love to learn but I need a job!
I have a lab but I don't have this fancy equipment to train on see above.

RouteMyPacket

lookingfornetworkjob wrote: »

Hello I just completed my CCNP: Routing & Switching last week, it took me a month to get.

I have 6 month experience as a network technician.

Hmmmm, interesting......

shodown

Well if your not even getting call backs on your resume that is the 1st place to start. Get a good resume going. Get on linkedin and get some ideas from other network engineers and get your resume looking close to theirs.

Iristheangel

Question: What learning resources did you use to pass three CCNP exams in a month? I'm going to be honest, I'd be highly skeptical as an employer or as a fellow professional of anyone passing their CCNP within a month with only 6 months of experience. It takes months to a year for experienced professionals to pass their CCNP. Plus you're saying that CCNP wasn't a cakewalk but you only took a month to get it and you're asking for help learning network? I don't know... I don't want to jump to assumptions but your post is making it hard not to.

RouteMyPacket

Iristheangel wrote: »

Question: What learning resources did you use to pass three CCNP exams in a month? What kind of switches do you have in your lab? Do you feel like the knowledge is still fresh in your head?

Also, something I find interesting as well is this statement

"If someone is willing to teach me networking I would be willing to relocate."

Why is a "CCNP R&S" certified "professional" looking for someone to teach them networking? Look we can beat around the bush all day long on this, we all know why you aren't getting calls or aren't making it through interviews (if you even get that far) and you also know why. You are learning the hard lesson of cart before the horse...dumping to gain a Professional level certification seems a little odd to say the least and you did yourself a disservice in doing so.

I'd be more than happy to help you, but let's start clean here because apparently Iris and I are the only ones willing to see this for what it is.

ande0255

You two replied before I could log in to post on this thread, and spoke almost exactly what I was thinking. If I had a job candidate in front of me that said they got their CCNP in a month, without 5+ years network engineering experience, that would be the end of the interview immediately.

How do you expect to get a job when the only thing you have to offer an employer is a certification you got by memorizing answers?

lookingfornetworkjob

Shoedown Okay I will do that!

Iristheangel it is still fresh in my head. Some stuff I need to relearn but most of it is fresh in my head & I know pretty well...this is why I want a job quick so I don't forget anything. I read the books cover to cover (100 pages a day, although I will admit I read the switch book slowly at my networking job before the company got bought out) & used networking videos with CBT nuggets. GNS3 and packet tracer also as training.
x2 2950 cisco, ASA (I'm not getting any output I think it is dead), Cisco 2801 router, Layer 3 3550 cisco switch. Pix (I think this one is dead also). A lot of my equipment was donated when I was working at a data-center. I also have a Juniper SRX240 (I cannot unlock and I have read the online documentation to remove the password, I think they have a command to cancel password reset.)

Iristheangel

If you want, you can email me and I'll do a mock technical interview with you via Webex. I can at least tell you if you can pass a technical interview of not

lookingfornetworkjob

Ande0255 I had a networking job that I knew was going to end in 3 months...I applied everywhere and got no networking jobs but data-center jobs that lied to me about what the job entailed.
Again at that time I had a CCNA, and still reading job requirments as ASA, JunOS, F5 load balancer, CCNP, and everything else that makes my head want to explode so I decided to learn, better to know the subjects about networking then to go in unaware of BGP/route redistribution and everything else is. I guess my knowledge hurts me but my boss still only has his CCNA because he is working 24/7....I figured no job get stuff done and stop giving excuses...maybe I was wrong but I am here with 6 months experience & a CCNP and I need to start my career!

lookingfornetworkjob

Sure I can do this, I've never used webex. I can give it a shot, sound like fun.

Legacy User

I think it may be possible you are aiming to high with limited experience. Getting back into a Data Center or NOC may be your best just find the right one that has growth potential and keep trying. Many people who are Network Engineers started that way. Problem is if you list CCNP on your resume yea your phone will blow up but they will expect a certain level of skill that you seem to lack.

ande0255

I have never heard of anyone passing all three CCNP tests in a month, I just honestly would never believe someone could do that with limited networking experience. Just my personal opinion on the matter, you can say you legitimately passed all 3 tests without failing once every 1-2 weeks at maximum, but I refuse to believe that is possible without memorizing answers.

Iristheangel

Sure. Shoot me an email at my username @gmail.com. I'll send you an invite in an hour when I get home from my business meeting

RouteMyPacket

ande0255 wrote: »

I have never heard of anyone passing all three CCNP tests in a month, I just honestly would never believe someone could do that with limited networking experience. Just my personal opinion on the matter, you can say you legitimately passed all 3 tests without failing once every 1-2 weeks at maximum, but I refuse to believe that is possible without memorizing answers.

It's not but alas let us all continue to think otherwise...it's more fun this way.

lookingfornetworkjob

I don't mind if I get a NOC job as long as I can work my way up to networking Engineer level some day or the company has room for growth, the last company I was working for years there was NO growth allowed. I think I will start to put applications for NOC jobs then and see what happens.

ande0255

Be sure to let us know how the mock interview goes

anhtran35

Another thing you stated is that you DO NOT want to apply for a Security Clearance. Why? A security clearance in DC/VA/MD is GOLD. It opens all the government IT contracting doors open.

E Double U

Took me a year to finish CCNP Security with daily hands on experience. Looks like I chose the wrong track

DoubleNNs

I've been applying in the DMV area and have been getting similar results so far. It's not that there aren't jobs - there seems to be a TON - but a lot of the jobs seem like a lateral move. And just moving up 1 rung on the ladder seems as if they want the sky and the moon from me.

However, nothing wrong w/ a little motivation. I too feel like cramming a lot of info in a short amount of time. But I realize afterwards, I'm most likely going to need another year in a position to learn how to apply that knowledge, and I'll look for a role w/ signs of possible upward mobility.

anhtran35

Or ****

Legacy User

But what would DUMPing solve? Yes it may make it look like the person has all of the credentials on paper but employers are looking for the skills that are expected with a certification not the paper its printed on.

Iristheangel

I did my technical interview with the OP. I'll say this: He wants to learn and he knows he doesn't have the skillset to match his credentials yet. I think after this thread and my interview, he knows he's got stuff to improve on. I think it's really easy when looking for a job and seeing certain requirements over and over again to rush into getting a certification by any means possible. That being said, I think I gave him plenty to think about and follow-up on and he really seemed willing to do what he needs to do.

@OP - Followup on those links, meetups and labs I gave you. Definitely post your resume (minus personal info) so we can help you out with that. I'll send you a "format' I personally like to use if you're open to style options but you don't have to use it if you don't want to. I'd be happy to have you join my DC study group and eventually it'll morph into a R&S study group as soon as I pass my CCIE DC Lab.

anhtran35

Nice job Iris.

lookingfornetworkjob

https://www.sendspace.com/file/xnbdvs

www.linkedin.com/pub/garrett-strahan/72/838/40a/

Please give me ideas of improvement!

First link is the resume. I have not updated my resume with your suggestions yet. She was right I probably don't have enough knowledge to impress most network interviewer...during the test multiple choice is so much easier than speaking out loud your thoughts without any help, and I truly need to keep practicing but I also need a job currently also. I find it hard to explain technology unless I know it 100%. I guess I should put CCNA instead and hope someone will give me a shot so I can practice or maybe I can find a NOC job with networking, just afraid CCNA will not give me a edge over the other 8,000 other CCNA holder in my 50 mile radius & past interviewers have said it didn't impress them.

I do however have one other big question. I have learned Russian a while ago and enjoy learning a second language is this going to be a deal breaker for networking jobs seeing how we are in a cyber war or problems with this country being how some networking require TS and very delicate matter currently. I know this language better than spanish/french and hated those language. I heard dual language speakers get paid more. I don't want my employer to question if I have strange loyalties if I'm dealing with sensitive material even if it is in the private system, not the government system; would you remove this language on linkedin?

By the way thanks again Iris.

Iristheangel

In regards to your resume, definitely take your personal information off for the public TE post

Besides that, I would tell you to expand further on the technical and project-based details of your last job. Your data center technician makes it sound like you were a glorified mover who just hauled crap from place-to-place. I would add some bullet points that are strictly technical under that.

The network technician one looks like some good experience. I don't like the environment part. I would take that out. It looks a little off.

I'm not really keen on the format... I.e. Under the DC tech in Reston, you give a description of your job and then you give a list of responsibilities. I'd say pick one format or the other.

Remove your CISO number on the bottom of the page.

Remove the CCNP

Even though I'm not a fan of the infamous "objective," I'd either put an object on top making it very very clear that you're looking for something entry level and that you're really willing to dig in and learn OR craft a cover letter that you can make tweaks to

Also, don't worry about it. No one is going to distrust you because you just happen to know how to speak a different language

lookingfornetworkjob

Thank you I will work on it in the mourning.