getting to the NOC

jamesleecoleman

Hey

I've been looking for jobs in Networking for a while. I've found two jobs that look interesting to me but I don't think I have a chance at all because both is asking for stuff that I haven't even learned in school such as SONET. The second job ask for SONET and/or DWDM. The other is asking for t1, t3, and optical testing. I figure I would buy books and read on these on SONET and DWDM but some of the books are almost $100 each. I'm trying to find information on the testing. I don't want to end up having to buy like 3 to 4 books for one thing. What suggestions do you have that could help me get into a NOC? Would anyone know any places for cheaper material with good quality??


jobs:

Find Jobs - Network Operations Center Surveillance Technician (Night Shift) Jobs in Grand Rapids, Michigan - US Signal Company

Find Jobs - NOC Technician Jobs in Grand Rapids, Michigan - US Signal Company


books:

Amazon.com: sonet

Amazon.com: DWDM

Bl8ckr0uter

I suggest you pick up network warrior and go from there. At the NOC that I worked in, we basically did network monitoring which is easy to pick up (if you have some networking knowledge). Get you CCNA and learn as much as you can.

jamesleecoleman

I'll make sure to check it out! It looks interesting from the preview that I got at amazon.

Bl8ckr0uter

jamesleecoleman wrote: »

I'll make sure to check it out! It looks interesting from the preview that I got at amazon.

It is a pretty good book. I started reading it while doing the CCNA but got side tracked by other material. I am just starting to back into. As a matter of fact, I am using this to keep my Cisco knowledge sharp and growing. As a Noc tech, they aren't going to expect you to be an expert of DWDM, SONET, or anything of the like.

ipconfig.all

If you want to get into networking start by getting COMPTIA Network+

ColbyG

ipconfig.all wrote: »

If you want to get into networking start by getting COMPTIA Network+

I disagree. If you want to get into networking, start with the CCENT and CCNA, they're more valuable in my experience.

Also, apply for the jobs regardless and see what happens. SONET/DWDM/PoS/etc is stuff you learn on the job.

Edit: Looks like he already has the N+ anyway.

Onefive

Yeah.. You're not going to learn DWDM or SONET anywhere except on the job. And there isnt that much to the technology, its all pretty simple once somebody explains it to you. Now Active DWDM(ROADM) is another story, and there is definitely more complexity involved, however you will not be configuring these from the ground up in a NOC job. You will most likely be provisioning links via the GUI administration software which is common with these devices. Some goes for the SONET boxes.

jamesleecoleman

Wait, can being in a NOC position even count as an entry level position?? I'm shooting as high as I can get where I feel comfortable that I can do the job.


knwminus:
I put the book in my wishlist. I'm going to have to get it when I get more money. Should I at least get some starting information on SONET and DWDM??


ColbyG:
I'm currently working on the CCNA. I just hope that I'll be able to use some of what I learned for the job if I do go and apply. I don't want to get there and loose what I know.



Onefive:
I can be a slow learner at times. It took me months to understand subnetting. I guess it'll be stuff I'll have to do over and over just to learn what I need to do. I think that they put those requirements in there to have a reason to keep people out.

Bl8ckr0uter

jamesleecoleman wrote: »

Wait, can being in a NOC position even count as an entry level position?? I'm shooting as high as I can get where I feel comfortable that I can do the job.

I would say yes it could be entry level. I had no NOC experience when I got my last NOC position (just A+/N+ and general helpdesk experience of less than 2 years). I just got another one with about 3 years exp and CCNA/CCNA:S so I would say that falls in the entry level range (1-3 years experience).

jamesleecoleman wrote: »

knwminus:
I put the book in my wishlist. I'm going to have to get it when I get more money. Should I at least get some starting information on SONET and DWDM??

Maybe. Part IV of the book goes into some Telecom stuff (T1, DS3, and frame relay) so that would be a very good primer for wan related material (I have been meaning to read this part myself).

If you want to get into Network Engineering then the NOC is a GREAT place to start. It can be boring though. Use that time to get your learn on. From what I have heard, some NOC techs basically do everything a Network Engineer does and some are monitor only so it varies from NOC to NOC.

jamesleecoleman

I don't have any helpdesk experience. The customer service experience I have isn't that good but its over 2 years of experience for that. From the video that I saw on the website, it looks like theres alot of customer support with network troubleshooting. The place stays open 24/7 but whenever I walked passed the head quarters (used to work up the street from them) there weren't any cars at night. Would the book build off of the CCNA material for frame relay??

Onefive

NOC Positions can mean a lot of different things. Some NOC jobs will be nothing more than monitoring Nagios/Cricket/Other Alerts and escalating real issues to more senior engineers, while others will have you doing some basic troubleshooting and provisioning. If you're trying to get into the Networking field its definitely a good place to start, but can be frustrating when you want to really get deep into the technology. I'm kind of in that position, but I came from a Sys Admin job where I had a lot of responsibility and did a lot of technical stuff, to working at a NOC which is a LOT less technical than my last job(but pays a lot more, probably because it is a bigger company).

Bl8ckr0uter

IMO if you have a good attitude and have ALMOST CCNA knowledge you should be cool for an entry level level NOC position. Like the poster above me said, a lot of NOCs aren't very technically oriented. A lot of it is calling ISPs, running basic commands on routers, looking at monitoring tools and stuff like that. Don't sell yourself short. I got to a tier II NOC so I was rolling out IOSes, doing changes to ACLS, and other stuff like that.

jamesleecoleman

Yea I'm working on that CCNA stuff. I just hope the job is still around to when I get that the CCNA. I'm glad to hear that some NOC's are easier than what they list on the job description. It had me worried there. How long did it take you to get to teir II, knwminus?

Bl8ckr0uter

jamesleecoleman wrote: »

Yea I'm working on that CCNA stuff. I just hope the job is still around to when I get that the CCNA. I'm glad to hear that some NOC's are easier than what they list on the job description. It had me worried there. How long did it take you to get to teir II, knwminus?

Like 1 month lol. I had a special situation though. From the get go I was on a fast track to be tier II because I was in the process of getting my NA. So they were like "Prove you can do it and we will make you tier II" so I got my NA and the rest is history.

I hated it there though. It was very boring and basically there was no way to move up.

jamesleecoleman

Thats pretty cool though. I guess thats another thing to worry about, not moving up later on. I guess I shouldn't be concerned about that now because I don't have any IT work experience.

WAY2QUIK

ColbyG wrote: »

I disagree. If you want to get into networking, start with the CCENT and CCNA, they're more valuable in my experience.

Also, apply for the jobs regardless and see what happens. SONET/DWDM/PoS/etc is stuff you learn on the job.

Edit: Looks like he already has the N+ anyway.

Just happened to be cruising the topics on the boards. I'm starting to knock certs out, but have a little over 5 years experience in various areas of Network/Server administration. I was about to review a little for the net+ test, but decided I'd start reading through ICND1 (ccent). I have a descent amount of experience with Cisco as well, just not certified. Anyway, the ICND1 book is pretty much I'd say at least half basic networking. If you are going to go the net+ route I would try and start with the ccent path, as net+ will be a lot of reiteration and easier. Just some recent personal experience i figured i'd share.

jamesleecoleman

Thanks for sharing. After studying the ICND1 material, I did notice that the Network+ material is easier.