Job Stress

Man, what a stressful day today. The NOC I work in, is always thrown under the bus. We are blamed for everything. Got blamed for an issue that was not my fault at all... Wish people would take responsibility and learn that Documentation is part of engineering.

Need to get my CCNP ASAP and move to an engineering role.

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Essendon

Ryuksapple84 wrote: »

Need to get my CCNP ASAP and move to an engineering role.

I'd agree with that. Get that cert man and move on to bigger and better things.

networker050184

If you think moving into an engineering role is going to lower your stress you are in for a rude awakening. The higher you go the more stressful it becomes. If you mess up a network design or something high level the consequences are far worse. Just don't mess anything up and you will be good to go though.

mikej412

networker050184 wrote: »

The higher you go the more stressful it becomes.

Yep. If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.

Ryuksapple84 wrote: »

Need to get my CCNP ASAP and move to an engineering role.

Or you could get an MBA, move into Management, and become the cause of the stress.

down77

mikej412 wrote: »

Yep. If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.

Or you could get an MBA, move into Management, and become the cause of the stress.

Ooh there's an idea...<insert Dogbert School of Management>

BroadcastStorm

Ryuksapple84 wrote: »

Man, what a stressful day today. The NOC I work in, is always thrown under the bus. We are blamed for everything. Got blamed for an issue that was not my fault at all... Wish people would take responsibility and learn that Documentation is part of engineering.

Need to get my CCNP ASAP and move to an engineering role.

Sorry to hear this, I must say I was in this position once, the network was a nightmare and blames were flying all over the place, each switch has a different native vlan etc. etc. etc.

Although I do agree that there will be more stress the more you move up the more complicated the network/system will be, but I would also say a good company hire highly skilled managers that makes things a whole lot better, I've seen my fair share of different management style, being proactive/organized ensuring you always stick with the change control will definitely help alot.

VAHokie56

networker050184 wrote: »

Just don't mess anything up and you will be good to go though.

Rock solid advice

Ryuksapple84

Thanks for the ecouragement guys... this is a very toxic enviroment but that is how state/federal contracting works.

I know that there is stress in an engineering position as well but I feel that if I had to choose the kind of stress, I rater deal with the stress that comes in an engineering position because at least that way I am learning something. Right now, I am not learning anything regarding networking.

Turgon

Ryuksapple84 wrote: »

Man, what a stressful day today. The NOC I work in, is always thrown under the bus. We are blamed for everything. Got blamed for an issue that was not my fault at all... Wish people would take responsibility and learn that Documentation is part of engineering.

Need to get my CCNP ASAP and move to an engineering role.

A lot of it about. Get out of operations and into design work or head off into management.

Ryuksapple84

Turgon wrote: »

A lot of it about. Get out of operations and into design work or head off into management.

Guess I would need my CCIE for design work, right?

demonfurbie

it could be more stressful

at my current job i have to testify in court in from of a judge/judges with jury
issue warrants
have people arrested for probation violations then hear from there mom why i locked there baby up (45 year old man)

Turgon

Ryuksapple84 wrote: »

Guess I would need my CCIE for design work, right?

No way. Most designers are not CCIE's. There are 27000 worldwide, no way enough to go around.

Ryuksapple84

Turgon wrote: »

No way. Most designers are not CCIE's. There are 27000 worldwide, no way enough to go around.

That maybe true but around here, you need you IE to enter into design unless you have years of exp.

Panzer919

I was in a NOC role for almost 4 years and when I switched over to being in IT as part of a company my stress level went WAY down. Not saying its not stressful but its a different, more easily manageable form of stress. Being stressed out troubleshooting a problem or designing something you know little about is much better than trying to argue with an idiot about how their network is fubared and its not our equipment causing their problems.

My advice, Keep your nose clean, maybe play some politics if it helps keep the bs from piling up on you as much, stick to your studies and if you choose to leave the company, do it as a professional. Don't be one of those people who get a cert and pulls a cartman (screw you guys I'm goin somewhere else). I know I'm welcome back at any company I left because I went out the right way.

Ryuksapple84

Panzer919 wrote: »

I was in a NOC role for almost 4 years and when I switched over to being in IT as part of a company my stress level went WAY down. Not saying its not stressful but its a different, more easily manageable form of stress. Being stressed out troubleshooting a problem or designing something you know little about is much better than trying to argue with an idiot about how their network is fubared and its not our equipment causing their problems.

My advice, Keep your nose clean, maybe play some politics if it helps keep the bs from piling up on you as much, stick to your studies and if you choose to leave the company, do it as a professional. Don't be one of those people who get a cert and pulls a cartman (screw you guys I'm goin somewhere else). I know I'm welcome back at any company I left because I went out the right way.

That is some solid advice. I was thinking that I stay at this place for a year at least. My CCNP Studies are on hold at the moment as I am in the process of tutoring my wife with her CCNA Studies. Once that is done and I have my Cert, I will start looking.

Panzer919

I enjoyed (for the most part) what I did for the ISP NOC I worked for. I learned everything I could about every product or service they offered. I volunteered for every new product roll out, wrote how to guides and troubleshooting manuals for most of the people I worked with, went to the Cisco Academy for CCNA and CCNP, earned their trust enough that they started letting me work on the core equipment so the field engineers could do their jobs without being bugged, ended up doing both my job and the field engineers job (installs, hubsite maintenance etc.). What made me leave was 1) they were regionalizing my section of the company and that made me uneasy about my jobs security and 2) they were switching the core over from Cisco to Juniper. I don't have anything against Juniper but I had just spent over 2 years learning about Cisco and I didn't want to throw it away. When I left my boss asked me why and I told him I wanted to work with Cisco and he said he didn't want me to leave but respected and understood why I made my decision.

So along with your studies, milk any learning opportunity that you can from your current position. There may come a time that it will come in handy.

networker050184

Ryuksapple84 wrote: »

That maybe true but around here, you need you IE to enter into design unless you have years of exp.

Well, no ones going to let you design their network without years of experience anyway.

Ryuksapple84

Panzer919 wrote: »

I enjoyed (for the most part) what I did for the ISP NOC I worked for. I learned everything I could about every product or service they offered. I volunteered for every new product roll out, wrote how to guides and troubleshooting manuals for most of the people I worked with, went to the Cisco Academy for CCNA and CCNP, earned their trust enough that they started letting me work on the core equipment so the field engineers could do their jobs without being bugged, ended up doing both my job and the field engineers job (installs, hubsite maintenance etc.). What made me leave was 1) they were regionalizing my section of the company and that made me uneasy about my jobs security and 2) they were switching the core over from Cisco to Juniper. I don't have anything against Juniper but I had just spent over 2 years learning about Cisco and I didn't want to throw it away. When I left my boss asked me why and I told him I wanted to work with Cisco and he said he didn't want me to leave but respected and understood why I made my decision.

So along with your studies, milk any learning opportunity that you can from your current position. There may come a time that it will come in handy.

I would do that but unfortunately the culture here does not encourage that kind of behavior. Information is guarded and teams keep to themselves. My last job, I was volunteering and got the chance to work with 6500s which was awesome but I had to leave because they turned out to be a Cult and wanted to control your personal life... not an exaggeration at all.

The dilemma I face is this; I want to get experience but need at least my CCNP. But usually people here want you to have your CCNP and on the job exp for an engineering role. It's almost Catch 66. I figure that I can supplement my exp with my home lab and books at this point till I get my Cert and then try to get a company to take a chance on me.

Feedback please!!!

Turgon

work for a cisco partner and get design experience.

Panzer919

Start revamping your resume and looking now. I had a Cisco partner consulting firm take a chance with me because they seen that I was passionate about Cisco and networking and was willing to learn or do anything. If you interview as a ccna but talk about what you are doing to become a ccnp that tells the company that you want to learn more and better yourself. That's why I have the job I have now, I was able to talk about the Cisco equipment I have worked with, studied, used or own and what my overall professional goal is. It let them know that I was completely serious about what I do and that I don't just play engineer and Im not just feeling out a possible career option.