Which gets more experience Network Technician of NOC Support

amb1s1

I would like to know which of this two title gets more experience for an entry level on the world of Cisco. I think a technician can get more experience, but that's just me guessing.

Netstudent

I would say NOC support. Most of the technicians I have come across are not certified, and just copy and paste router configs when they do installations. They have the NOC support guys write the configs and they just copy and paste them.

But this all depends on the job, each can be different.

mikearama

In the companies I've worked for, Network Tech / Admin, at any level, gets the best experience in the specific world of networks. As a Junior Net Tech, I learned how to cable, use patch panels, set up routers and switches (and switch stacks using 3750's), create etherchannels and trunks, play with vlan assignments, troubleshoot routes and routing protocols, roll out an ATM lan extension, and design an subnetting solution to make the most of the ranges provided.

Now, as a Network Admin, I have a hand in designing our new MPLS/VoIP solution to our member sites.

By contrast, the NOC's I've been associated with have had to deal with substantially more than just cisco related stuff. They have to deal with XP/Vista calls, printer issues, wireless config problems, VPN connectivity issues... all manner of network (and some, non-) related problems.

So, for overall IT experience, the NOC is a great place to learn about a lot of topics. But nothing, in my experience, beats being immersed in all things Cisco. No one in our NOC is being asked their thoughts on MPLS/VoIP, that's for sure (which may be an oversight... perhaps).

My two cents.

By the way, amb... are you dutch? (or was the use of the word "of" in the title a typo?)

Mike