Network Vs. Server?

I am currently getting my Bachelor's in Information and Computer Technology and I have about 2 years left. The degree covers many fields (Cisco, Red Hat, Microsoft Server, Security). Everything sounds great so it is becoming a little hard for me to choose what I want to do when I graduate.

I've pretty much narrowed it down to either working on the network side or the server side. I Just wanted to get some feedback of some people already in the workforce of these positions and see what they like/dislike about them.

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Comments

networker050184

Network side is the way to go! Of course someone on the server side will probably tell you the opposite. Both have plenty career opportunities so do what you enjoy. You don't have to decide now though. Worry about finishing school and finding a job!

jaffe

I personally love networking! I found a thread discussing this topic:
http://www.techexams.net/forums/off-topic/74412-server-work-vs-networking.html

dcarey4698

Thanks! I was actually really into networking until I failed the CCNA

It's discouraging but I still feel like I really know the information and understand the concepts, the test is just really hard haha.

LeBroke

I work on the server side and I will also tell you network side is the way to go. We need someone to blame when servers don't work

joelsfood

Both.

techfiend

Both +1. At least to start, if you really prefer one over the other than go for it. Don't be concerned about failing the CCNA, many people do, including me. It's a tough test that doesn't give nearly enough time. Pick yourself up and knock it out next time!

From what I've seen there's many more, especially entry-mid level, systems positions than network positions but it could just be locale.

TWX

This is opinion, take it for what it's worth...

Networking seems to have less reinventing the wheel and trying to pretend that it's innovation than servers. I've watched networks go through iterations of Novell, old-school NT domain, and Active Directory, and a even some proprietary thing that my college had using Kerberos and RADIUS. Over more than 20 years I've seen these systems replace each other without really doing much new, just providing access to resources and security against other resources or outside systems.

Networking seems to build more on principles without wholly replacing them. There are some exceptions, some vendors will create proprietary solutions where none exist which are eventually replaced with industry-standard solutions (Cisco ISL vs IEEE 802.1Q, Cisco Per-VLAN Spanning Tree vs IEEE 802.1s MST), but many of the underlying concepts remain as building-blocks. There have been technologies that are either end-of-life or are much less common (non-TCP/IP protocols, T-carrier) but it seems to build a lot more.

4_lom

With the recent push to begin offloading servers to the cloud (Windows Azure and AWS), I would focus on networking or security if I were you. Microsoft is starting to get fairly aggressive with their marketing for Windows Azure, and the prices continue to drop. I'm thinking within the next 10-15 years, most companies will not have physical servers onsite. I don't have any facts or statistics to corroborate

this, just a 'gut feeling'.

kohr-ah

It really comes down to what you like.

My case was networking. I get to change the flow of the way information hits the world and I can log in all over the world and see how the changes I have made are affected. The enjoyment of the fact that I know how information is manipulated in the path it takes by looking at a terminal from a machine all the way to the remote site is just pure enjoyment to me.

Networking now and days is no longer just router and switch. There is much more to it the way things have changed and are changing. We control firewalls, wireless, phone systems, Linux systems, WAN accelerators, virtual infrastructure, and more. We are becoming programmers learning to make simple tasks easier or the ability to have scripts perform tedious tasks for us. A simple script I use, for example, is login to switched perform a CDP neighbor and exclude SEP devices then label the port with "Trunk port to " and the readout value it finds. It runs once a month.

markulous

Yeah, just do what you enjoy. You may be bored to tears with networking and love being a Linux admin, you never know. I'd personally say go for your CCNA first and see how much you enjoy that. Regardless of your future decisions, that will be a solid cert and it's necessary to understanding networking fundamentals.

It may be a situation where you won't know until you start actually working in that field. Just play it by ear as you go. At one point I wanted to work in networking, but I worked in a Microsoft environment and now at a VMware environment, and what I want now is to get into infosec either doing auditing or a security analyst. So don't be shocked if your mind changes down the road.

TechGromit

4_lom wrote: »

With the recent push to begin offloading servers to the cloud (Windows Azure and AWS), I would focus on networking or security if I were you. Microsoft is starting to get fairly aggressive with their marketing for Windows Azure, and the prices continue to drop. I'm thinking within the next 10-15 years, most companies will not have physical servers onsite. I don't have any facts or statistics to corroborate this, just a 'gut feeling'.

I agree, companies may keep a server or two onsite for backups in case the internet goes down, but for the most part servers will be on the cloud, thus what do we need a server guy for? A lot more job security on the Networking side of things. While there has been some push to Network as a Service (Naas), this is more of handling traffic between sites in a company, rather than an outside firm managing and servicing physical network hardware on site.

gkca

TechGromit wrote: »

for the most part servers will be on the cloud, thus what do we need a server guy for? A lot more job security on the Networking side of things.

First of all, someone still has to manage that cloud, so there will be job at service providers. Second, those servers in the cloud - hey, someone still has to manage them, so companies still going to need server admins. And third thing - SDN, well, maye that is the first one actually for the network guys

UnixGuy

Having done servers for most of my careers and a bit of network..I'd say neither.

Get into sales quickly and be closer to the business, but it's not for everyone....so many factors really.

Generic answer would be, whatever you choose, get damn good at it.

tkerber

UnixGuy wrote: »

Having done servers for most of my careers and a bit of network..I'd say neither.

Get into sales quickly and be closer to the business, but it's not for everyone....so many factors really.

Generic answer would be, whatever you choose, get damn good at it.

Hahaha I always like your answers UnixGuy... Start 'em young and get them into sales.