My new path in Networking!

mamono

Summer 2007, I decided that I wanted to move toward something network engineering related and move away from quality engineering in enterprise server systems development. I wasn't too fond of 14 hour work days and having to fly to San Jose on a weekly basis, IMHO. I didn't feel like my career was going the direction that I wanted, so I started working on certifications to strengthen my resume. M-F, 4-6 hours after work, I would study at a cafe. Trying to leave my weekends free to recover and relax from the week prior.

After completion of CCNA, I started looking for entry level positions in networking. Since I did not have any experience in that area, looking for NOC positions seemed like the best bet. 3 months after obtaining CCNA, I found a NOC Systems Engineer Tier1/Tier2 position with a Cisco Gold Partner. This company encourages their technical staff to pursue Cisco certifications, which I like very much. They provide a lot of training material, definitely lets my bleeding wallet heal for once!

Here is a breakdown of what happened:
1/22, Wednesday - Applied
1/23, Thursday - Response from HR, asked me to provide some supplemental information. Seemed like a prescreening phone interview.
1/24, Friday - Response from HR, application submitted to Hiring Manager.
1/26, Monday - 9AM: E-mailed HR in the morning, "Thank you" for submittal. 12NOON: Response from HR, request for availability for phone interview and scheduled phone interview for later that afternoon. 3PM: Phone interview with hiring manager went well. 4PM: Scheduled in-person interview via HR for the morning on Tuesday.
1/27, Tuesday - 10AM: In-person interview with hiring manager, tour of NOC, and technical exam. Interview went really well and I went home happy.
1/28, Wednesday - Mailed thank you card to hiring manager.
1/29, Thursday - 4PM: Inquiry from HR regarding my impressions of the interview and gave me feedback on the hiring manager's impression.
1/30, Friday - 1PM: Response from HR, verbal offer. HR now processing paperwork for my employment!

I am both excited and nervous. I start next week.

For those that are working or have worked in this environment, are there any pointers or anything I should be aware of so that I am not caught off guard? There is a lot of room for upward mobility and professional/career development with them. I am really looking forward to what is to come.

My current certification studying may shift according to what I might need to know for work, so I know for certain that I will make CCNP a target for this year.

skrpune

Congrats!! Very cool that they provide training materials for you too, it definitely will make the process of getting certs go a bit more smoothly!

dynamik

Congratulations! You've definitely earned it!

networker050184

Congrats!

mikej412

Congratulations!

Getting a job with a Cisco Business Partner is a GREAT chance for learning and earning experience. And eventually the GREAT PAY will follow as you advance!

ConstantlyLearning

That's deadly man, well done.

nel

Congrats man! i would love to learn the trade at a cisco gold partner! take advantage of the position and make the most of it!

UnixGuy

congrats ! working for a partner will get you priceless experience

mamono

Thanks everyone! Monday is going to be an action packed 1st day!

ITdude

Good luck man and go for the gusto!

NOCup

Nice!!! Especially in this mess-up economy where people are losing their jobs but you'd managed to find one. Does your company pays for testing fees as well? Including CCIE? That would be awesome!

mamono

That's something I am interested in knowing too. I was too nervous and excited at the same time to ask... I'll ask this week. The company encourages everyone on their technical staff to shoot for CCIE. They employ 7 CCIE's on staff at that branch alone.

leosv

So how was your first day? I am on the same road. CCNA and A+ with no real experience in the field.

phantasm

Congratulations Mamono. Like you I recently started at a NOC as a Network Technician doing Tier 1 work. The work itself is a mix of tier 1 and tier 2 though, it's definately a change from the LAN side of things. Best of luck at your new job!!

mamono

Its like organized chaos, but I like it! We use a combination of both Aware360 and Cisco Mars to monitor networks. I have to read a lot of documentation on NOC operations and getting up to speed on what's going on with the clients. First week, I am already answering calls, responding to network outages, logging into devices, and doing basic troubleshooting. I'm learning quite a bit from just listening to the Tier3/Tier4 engineers as they work through complex issues together. Nice to be in a very team centric work environment where everyone tries to help each other to share knowledge and expertise.

I am still not used to the 500+ e-mails per day from alerts, but trying to get used to it.

phantasm wrote: »

Congratulations Mamono. Like you I recently started at a NOC as a Network Technician doing Tier 1 work. The work itself is a mix of tier 1 and tier 2 though, it's definately a change from the LAN side of things. Best of luck at your new job!!

Much thanks! I agree. Its a nice breath of fresh air!

jeveryday

Congrats man

Morty3

Great work, you are really a icon for me... I'm in school, doing my last semester now and I am going for CCNA, as first student ever to take the exam while still in class. I really hope to be able to find a job at a cisco-partner!