Career path advice: Software engineering or Networking

Marsene

Hey guys,

I've recently graduated from the university in computer science. I always thought that I would be a software engineer since how was doing well there.

I was seeking for a job in a software industry but did not get one, refusing to remain unemployed i got a job as a technical support engineer (just as a stepping stone). Once there, I started getting familiar with the networking world. Now, I'm thinking about building my career in networking.

I want your advice guys. I've spend all my graduation time trying to familiarize myself with the programming language with an idea of becoming a software engineer and now I'm really thinking about shifting to Networking. Is thought wise?

Thanks in advance.

lamha88

Networking is an alluring and seductive mistress. I'm kind of coming from the same background as you. My educational background is mainly concentrated on software programming/engineering. I got my first gig in tech support and simply loved system and network administration. There's nothing wrong with switching career paths as long as you enjoy what you will be doing. Its also in a computer/IT related role, so your CS degree will still hold plenty of merit amongst employers. For some reason, hr managers treat the CS degree as the creme de la creme of computers related degrees. And honestly, after spending hundreds of hours slaving on a Unix command line, Cisco IOS was unbelievably easy to pick up. I'm not saying the cert exams are easy, but learning commands and syntax was a snap after learning say, c/c++ or java. Pick up a book and try achieving the CCENT or CCNA certs, just to get your feet wet. Learning about networking the Cisco way is pretty different from learning about computer networks the CompSci way. If you still like it, have at it.

I still enjoy programming. I pick up a few books from time to time just to keep my skills sharp. If you are still deadset on getting a software eng gig, you can do one of two things:
1) build a portfolio. The alumni at my school always leave with a pretty nifty portfolio of all the projects (mind-bending programming tasks) they completed during their studies. The overall feedback id that most employers are impressed. If you lack that, you can always do volunteer or contract work. Help design web pages for a church, or local organizations. I wrote a POS program for my mother's business.
2) consider relocating.

When starting out, i think it's useful to be multifaceted so that you always have a plan B in case things don't pan out with your plan A. If you stick to plan A and excel in it, it should be safe to specialize.


Just my two cents. Good luck with your decision.

DissonantData

A CS degree is intended to teach people how to think logically and mathematically, which is important for an IT job. I believe you should be fine. Perhaps you can find a job that involves network programming.

Marsene

Thanks guys for your replies.

@lamha88: Your story is very encouraging. I've already picked up some books and video tutorials online about CCNA, I'm thinking of preparing myself for the certification. I hope that's a good start. Any suggestion or advice on where and how to start would be most welcomed. I'm a little curious to know what you do as job now

@DissonantData: Thanks for your advice. I hope that too.

lamha88

In the midst of some major corporate restructuring, I find myself in a Jack-of-all-trades role where i'm given a lot of freedom to "play." Daily tasks include sys admin, tech support, software debugging, and the like. My manager sees a lot of "potential" in me (translation:can do a lot of work above my paygrade), so he trusts me with free reign in the IT department. The network side was a little more restrictive (justifiably so) until I could somehow prove me worth (CCNA). We've got numerous 3650's, 3750's, a few ASA 5510's, and and a few 4400 wireless controllers that I am just dying to work with. Not necessarily to implement/change immediately, but more so to learn some industry best practices by our expert network engineers. That will probably change over time. I just like the fact that I can get down and dirty with a lot of technologies (RHEL, AS/400, VMWare, and Windows 2008R2 servers), while I am still in school. I have a book on RPG which i plan on reading (after my mcsa) so i can do some crazy programming/scripting on our AS/400 boxes. As long as I can justifiably contribute to the overall productivity of our facility, my boss cares little about how i go about acheiving that goal. I am currently at a the low end of the IT totem pole ($40k annually, which isn't too bad considering that I am first, and firemost , a full time student), but one of the directors of our IT departments assures me that that should change as soon as I graduate. In the meantime, I'm gathering all kinds of related certs and experience in the hopes of negotiating one hell of a pay raise. If that doesn't pans out, at least i'll have plenty of experience and creds to market myself elsewhere.

P.S. My actual job title is a mouthful and does little to describe what it is I actually do at work.