Seeking Advice & Guidance

echoesofeleven

Evening!

My name is Marc. I'm currently attending Strayer University in VA. I'm a IT major that's concentrating on Networking. I'm about twelve classes away from finally graduating. As joyful as that sounds I'm quite worried for my future. I'm worried about the social stigma that non-profit colleges have thus being passed up for jobs. Also I don't have much experience in the IT field.

So before I graduated I want to obtain at least 2 certifications. I'm thinking about getting a CCNA certification. I already started my research with that. I found couple great tutorial videos and thankfully this site as well. Right now I'm trying to find a suitable places to learn & gain hands on experience. So my question for someone just starting out what certifications is best suited for networking? What certifications should I first start out with?

stryder144

There are many schools of thought on this one, so be prepared to receive a variety of answers. I'll break it down according to the advice I got last year:

1. CompTIA triad: A+, Security+, and Network+. Some can't stand the CompTIA certs, some swear by them. They helped me find two jobs and maybe even two more. So, your mileage may vary. Other than that, they provide foundational knowledge. Can't beat that, honestly.

2. Volunteer at a local charity. Church, shelter, dog park, doesn't matter. You need experience to really get the foot in the door. Not only that, but it also provides valuable contacts for your network.

3. LinkedIn...set up a profile. That allows people to see you and what you've done. It can be much, much longer than your resume, so use it wisely. I'm always looking for ways to improve mine.

4. Get hooked up with like minded people in your area. Use Meetup and LinkedIn to find those groups that align with your career aspirations. Get their cards, connect with them on LinkedIn, and, most importantly, let them know you are looking for a job. You'd be amazed at how many jobs are available in the "stealth" market.

5. Lastly, consider getting hooked up with IT recruiters in your area. They can be valuable resources. They will help you tweak your resume, your LinkedIn account, and they know where the jobs are.

Hope this helps you out. Just be open to what people have to say, balance everything out as it applies to your area and your situation, and I am sure you will find a job sooner than you thought possible.

Cheers

rowelld

stryder144 has great advice. In addition to using Meetup and LinkedIn try to find local user groups. I run a local Cisco user group and we get similar people in your situation. Get out there and network with people. Show them your enthusiasm for this line of work and someone could shoot you an opportunity.

If you would like to focus on network engineering, CCNA is a great cert to obtain but be aware that most organizations may skip someone fresh out of school with a CCNA and go for someone with more experience. Experience will trump any certification.

With that said, start looking for entry level jobs in help desk or jr level positions. The typical path everyone takes is working their way through help desk as it gives you the bigger picture from the end user. Knowing how the end user gets their work done goes a long way when you're a network engineer or any other higher level position.