Almost completed with degree and know nothing

Ungadunga911

Hello, i am a junior college level student and i am almost finished with my AAS degree in computer networking, i just wanted some input from anybody that is able to relate but i feel completely useless with everything that i have done in this degree. I know that i am not the only one cause i have spoken to many class members and many have said the same thing, i still cant trouble shoot a network and barley know how to subnet. If i were thrown into a company that asked me to troubleshoot a network i wouldn't even really know ware to start. My studies are based through netacade which im not a big fan of and as far as my server classes go like setting up a DHCP server or a WEB server, i have only done these once so im not exactly a pro or at a basic level proficient at it, but i did learn how to do those few times. The rest of the time is theory and theory on packet headers and the OSI model which is a subject that leaves the brain quickly if you dont work with it. I was thinking about going to a university after i finish the AA degree in hopes that i might get some hands on but am still unsure. I was in the military as a mechanic and i know that you actually learn the job once you start doing, cause the army cant train someone to be a mechanic in 3 months, takes allot of job assistance and continued training until i finally was a decent mechanic so i try to keep that thought process in my head, but this isn't 3 months of training, this is 2 long years and i still feel the same as when i completed the 3 months of mechanic training, i don't know anything. I was told that i can go buy some networking gear and do it at the house, but isn't that what im paying the school for and showing up 5 days a week and being forced to work knights for. So as for the question, i just wanted to know if any body had any advice. The beuro of labor statistics says the job field is expected to grow but i cant even find one job opening on indeed or monster in my town which isn't a small place.

636-555-3226

That's the shame of it - people are coming out of schools with a lot of theory but not a lot of practical knowledge, esp. in my area of infosec.

1) figure out what you want to do and 2) start learning it on your own. if you need help with figuring out how to do 1 or 2 let us know

stryder144

It is not uncommon for people to get out of training and still feel like they know nothing. Special operations personnel spend upward of two years learning their jobs plus one to two years of OJT before they are considered fully capable operators. Don't feel bad, you've gone through two years of training, now you need the practical, boots-on-ground experience to go with your training. Hang in there, you'll find a job, you'll get trained on their equipment and processes, and then everything will fall into place.

Ungadunga911

Well if you want to call netacade learning how to troubleshoot, there are some labs through it ware there are 3 computers that need to have the same ip interface as the main router but that's it. If i bought equipment i wouldn't know ware to start, you tube videos ? iv watched many over the past year in a half, not much help. I thought about self teaching myself at first and then realized that i couldn't if i tried. So i enrolled in school. Some things actually half to be taught, i wouldn't suggest some young kids on teaching themselves about high pressure hydraulic fluid theory and to just go buy some stuff and learn how to do it, might end up getting killed. Main point is that i know that i cant teach myself with equipment on building a network at the house cause i wouldn't know ware to start or how to continue working on it or what to add ex. I actually have internet connections at my house that go in and out and i get errors and have tried doing the whole static ip thing and that didnt even work, i even have it to ware my connection to one network on my router will change to my router the ISP provider gave me, so if i cant even figure out to solve that problem i don't think i would be ready to go buying other equipment.

The_Expert

The best way to improve is to do it on your own... So many people rely on Colleges, Universities etc. to teach them real-world skills. That just does not happen. Most learning takes place outside of the classroom!

Spend the money on books, videos, lab gear, simulators etc. to get you the knowledge you are looking for.

Do you currently have any certifications? If not, get some... studying for Certifications can expose one to topics one might not otherwise come across. Then lab, lab, lab... until you fully understand the theory.

Good luck!

Phillies8607

Yup buying some lab equipment as others have suggested will definitely help. Thats what Ive been doing the last few months. I bought a used pc tower, a keyboard, mouse, (already had a monitor so I didnt need to buy that) 3 cisco switches and 2 cisco routers all for a grand total of $200. My original plan was to put ESXI on that tower but its too expensive to upgrade the RAM, so I'll wait to upgrade that, So instead I have Windows Server 2012 on that machine and boy is there alot you can do on that!! Great tool to learn from. You can set up users and group policies as well as a dhcp and dns server. Hopefully you can get a discount on Win Server through your school. Thats what I did ..... My point is yes you should buy some equipment and it isnt that expensive especially if its an investment in your future and is gonna give you a head start when you finish your degree. At the very least, you could get a copy of wireshark going to capture packets and see how data moves through the different layers of the OSI ( its free btw). Hope that helps.

scaredoftests

Labbing at home is a great start. good luck.

dustervoice

Like others have said.. create a home lab. Formal education only teaches you how to work in groups, meet deadlines, etc. Real experience will be gained when you practice on your own or get a job. I felt the same way when i did my computer science degree. The programming projects i worked on in school made absolutely no sense nothing i could have used in the real world.

AverageJoe

College is generally about EDUCATION, not TRAINING. Learning theory is a big part of education. Training is important, but it also has a much shorter shelf life, becoming obsolete quickly. Education/theory is a long-term investment that will help you become trained (to include self-training) on many technologies in the future.

For example, students learning computer science to become a computer programmer can't count on ever working with the computer languages they learn in school, but the fundamental concepts of software design are common across programming languages. TRAINING might focus on one language, but EDUCATION allows you to learn any computer language.

To be fair, an AAS should be more hands-on than non-applied degrees, and some AAS degrees are more closely aligned with TRAINING, depending on the program. Also, you mentioned going to a university to get more hands-on, but most (not all) university programs will likely be less hands-on and more theory. That's the nature of education versus training.

And yes, you're right that you probably won't remember the intricate details of the OSI model forever, but you'll know it exists and how the layers relate, and if you do wind up needing the information you'll be able to brush up more quickly than someone who never studied it. One major aspect of education is that people don't know what they don't know until they become broadly informed on a subject. Hopefully you now have a foundation that will help you learn more in the future.

As to whether or not it was the school's job to teach you, well, I'd turn it around and say it was your job to learn. It sounds like you were provided some opportunities to lab and I'm sure you did what you needed to, but I bet you had opportunities to do more either through additional classes or even just by putting more time into the classes you took.

I've seen students put in lots of extra time because they really wanted to get something down instead of being satisfied with a high-level 20-minute exercise done in class, but the majority of students are more interested in getting out of class early rather than REALLY learning the material. I know I'm in the "let's get out early" crowd.

This isn't a slam against you; it's just the way it is. I think this is probably the same regardless of what subject you're majoring in. If you were an English major you'd learn the basics of writing, but that doesn't mean you'd graduate ready to write a book. If you went to school for architecture or engineering, that wouldn't mean you'd graduate ready to design a building on your own or design a new type of power plant.

My advice is to start looking at certifications. They will help you apply what you've learned.

Just my 2 cents.

Bjcheung77

You guys are awesome! That's the advice I was going to say, create a lab at home with a couple of computers and laptops and try to troubleshoot or create a server and clients, and hook it up to the net, see if you can setup accounts and so on. I am actually going for my Associates Degree in Comp Sci, and I just started the process, I am MUCH older than you and trying to break into other parts of IT this year.

Techytach

Yea, sadly school isn't very good at actually helping you learn practical skills in most cases.

I think its main use is it teaches you HOW to learn. How to study, take good notes, etc.

Self-study is where I learned almost everything.

People can knock certs, but if you do enough self study to not only pass, but master the subject, you will learn a lot. While also building a resume.

Get used to studying on your own, and self-teaching yourself about what you need to know. Being able to break down complex topics and learn them on your own is also a practical skill for the actual job.

Node Man

I think a lot about how much computer science degrees and IT/Networking do not overlap. I've heard the expression - in IT, if your degree is over 3 years old, you don't have a degree anymore.

Self study is the way to go. Plus the standard Cisco certs.

UnixGuy

Do you know how to learn?

Then pick up any topic of interest and learn everything about it.