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pevangel wrote: » So I just accepted a job offer for a Sr. Network Engineer position that puts me at above 100K for the first time in my career. Total compensation puts me at mid 100K. This is actually the first hop I'm going to take that's a pay increase. I had a goal to work in a strictly networking role and have chosen jobs that would have brought me closer to that role regardless of the pay. I chose a networking gig that payed at least 4K less over a systems job that paid 20K more. I even stopped going to college because it interfered with my networking studies. I've been in IT for four years and didn't think I'd be where I am now. Two years ago my wife and I had a combined total compensation of less than 70K. She has also been studying hard and has joined the IT world recently. Now our combined total compensation is around 200K!
pevangel wrote: » So I started with the desktop support job at 37K with a CCNA and A+. The CCNA didn't help at all. It wasn't until I got the A+ that I got the job. I spent 1.5 years there and got really bored. I wanted to get back on track to becoming a Network Architect. I bought the CCNP books and started studying during all of my downtime and while at home. I stopped going out drinking with friends and stopped my daily session with the PS3 and Call of Duty. I focused on getting the CCNP. I passed one of the CCNP exams and my resume got noticed more. I was doing a bunch of interviews and got two offers: a sys admin job for 60k and a NOC support job for 33K. I took the NOC job and passed the other CCNP exams. I eventually got promoted to a Junior Network Engineering role for 60K. I went back to college to get my bachelor's degree but stopped to focus on certifications related to what I was doing at work. I went back to my networking studies and got promoted a year later at 75K. That's the last position I held before getting this new offer. I've worked/studied really hard and made some sacrifices along the way, but it's nice to see those things paying off. I get to do a job that I enjoy and get paid extremely well for it.
pevangel wrote: » Don't chase the money. Specialize in something you enjoy doing, get really good at it, and the money will come. I had a goal and stuck to it even though some decisions put me in debt early on. I used to make 68K a year before I transitioned to IT and took a massive pay cut. Here are the things I've learned in the past four years that helped me get to where I am now: Don't chase the money which I've already mentioned. Set a goal for what you want to do and chase the jobs that will help you reach your goal. There's nothing wrong with getting high level certs with zero or very limited experience as long as you're doing it to learn the material. I got my CCNP because I wanted to really learn the material and spent a LOT of hours reading and labbing. I read all the Cisco press books, blogs, white papers, and RFCs. I watched Nuggets, INE, Chris Bryant, and youtube videos. I labbed everything in the study guide, gns3vault, and other labs that I made up. Taking the time to really learn the material helped me excel in interviews and impress potential employers. It also allowed for better interaction with the engineers which was a huge help with my promotion. I was a technician doing engineering tasks during my downtime. If there's a task/project that should be easy for you to do, don't do it. Focus on tasks that are challenging because that's where you'll see a ton of growth. If you think a task is way over your head, volunteer to do it or at least assist with it. Delegate what you find easy to people who might find it challenging. It frees up your time to do more challenging stuff, and you're challenging others to help with their growth which brings me to my next point. The fastest way to grow yourself is to grow others. If you are the only person that knows how to do this one thing, then you will be stuck doing that one thing. Teach others and promote their growth so that they can take on your current tasks. This frees you up to do more challenging tasks and move up the ladder. Take a break. I take vacations every year with my family and leave all the study materials at home. Burning yourself out is counterproductive to your growth.
pevangel wrote: » Don't chase the money. Specialize in something you enjoy doing, get really good at it, and the money will come. I had a goal and stuck to it even though some decisions put me in debt early on. I used to make 68K a year before I transitioned to IT and took a massive pay cut. Here are the things I've learned in the past four years that helped me get to where I am now:Don't chase the money which I've already mentioned. Set a goal for what you want to do and chase the jobs that will help you reach your goal. There's nothing wrong with getting high level certs with zero or very limited experience as long as you're doing it to learn the material. I got my CCNP because I wanted to really learn the material and spent a LOT of hours reading and labbing. I read all the Cisco press books, blogs, white papers, and RFCs. I watched Nuggets, INE, Chris Bryant, and youtube videos. I labbed everything in the study guide, gns3vault, and other labs that I made up. Taking the time to really learn the material helped me excel in interviews and impress potential employers. It also allowed for better interaction with the engineers which was a huge help with my promotion. I was a technician doing engineering tasks during my downtime. If there's a task/project that should be easy for you to do, don't do it. Focus on tasks that are challenging because that's where you'll see a ton of growth. If you think a task is way over your head, volunteer to do it or at least assist with it. Delegate what you find easy to people who might find it challenging. It frees up your time to do more challenging stuff, and you're challenging others to help with their growth which brings me to my next point. The fastest way to grow yourself is to grow others. If you are the only person that knows how to do this one thing, then you will be stuck doing that one thing. Teach others and promote their growth so that they can take on your current tasks. This frees you up to do more challenging tasks and move up the ladder. Take a break. I take vacations every year with my family and leave all the study materials at home. Burning yourself out is counterproductive to your growth.
pevangel wrote: » I even stopped going to college because it interfered with my networking studies.
pevangel wrote: » Don't chase the money. Specialize in something you enjoy doing, get really good at it, and the money will come.
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