Cisco at first IT job??

I was thinking back today when i was taking the cisco net academy at tech school and remembering that our teacher took us on a tour of the Bellsouth NOC. the one right next to the Lindbergh Center in Atlanta. While we where there he showed us where i guess Tier 1 support was and said that when we graduate and get CCNA we could do what they did. I do believe he said they where supporting Cisco devices and to access the devices you had to plug something into the computer via USB so they could remotely manage them (i think).

anyways.... this got me thinking how many of you With Associate degrees and CCNA and no formal experience got to work on Cisco devices on your first job and what type of companies did you work for?

this was last year before X-mas when we went. it was pretty awesome place.

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AlexMR

The job market is different everywhere. IT pros from the USA seem to be having a hard time starting in IT. Here in Dominican Republic, a CCNA gets you the job working directly with Cisco routers and switches. It seems in the US the employers have the chance to select the experienced guys and they will always be better to have than people with no experience except from the labs in school.

Slowhand

While my first IT job was technically at CompUSA, working in the tech shop, I can say that my first "enterprise IT" gig, for an ISP/datacenter, involved Cisco devices. I didn't have an associates degree at the time, I was working on my CCNA, and I got to configure the 6500-series switches that were the backbone of pretty much our entire infrastructure. Given, this was a lucky break for me, since we were a staff of only 6, supporting a HUGE server farm and a gigantic data-pipe, and they decided to hire me over a long, long line of other candidates.

empc4000xl

if you work hard enough you can find something. I took the military route and got cisco training just because it was required for the job. But most of the guys I met in your position could find some Tier 1 job somewhere if they looked hard enough and were persistant. Most however took field tech jobs and were installing switches and routers and firewalls and running cable.(something I suck at) I think both options are available depending on where you live at. Another things you are near the ATL, you can find something, you will just have to deal with the murderous traffic, but plenty of beautiful women and plenty of other stuff to do.

Forsaken_GA

empc4000xl wrote:

Another things you are near the ATL, you can find something, you will just have to deal with the murderous traffic, but plenty of beautiful women and plenty of other stuff to do.

Unless, of course, you work a night shift, in which case you get to see the copious amounts of homeless, instead of the beautiful women.

Otoh, the traffic isn't so muderous.

empc4000xl

Forsaken_GA wrote:

empc4000xl wrote:

Another things you are near the ATL, you can find something, you will just have to deal with the murderous traffic, but plenty of beautiful women and plenty of other stuff to do.

Unless, of course, you work a night shift, in which case you get to see the copious amounts of homeless, instead of the beautiful women.

Otoh, the traffic isn't so muderous.

Sucks for you. I was looking for a job in the "A", but I was only getting crappy calls. I got a better job now, and I will try atlanta again in 2 years. I eventually wanna get down there. I luv it. Plenty of well...You know what I'm talking about.

Phliplip112

well at least it seems like its possible. after reading on the site here and there i didnt really thinking that i was going to get my CCNA and not be able to use the skill set for about 2 years and that skill set is pretty much use it or lose it type of thing.

it probably takes me about 30 minutes to get to what is considered metro Atlanta but the closer you get the slower things go. i could work in Atl but i could never live there.

i did get a call from tek systems but this site made me weary of headhunters.

empc4000xl

well you gotta go where the jobs are. Its much eaiser to land a cisco job in a big city where they have larger requirements than in a rual area where there is less of a need.

Phliplip112

empc4000xl wrote:

well you gotta go where the jobs are. Its much easier to land a cisco job in a big city where they have larger requirements than in a rural area where there is less of a need.

Naturally. i was just saying i would rather put up with the commute/gas than live in Atlanta for reasons that out of the scope of this thread.