In need of career advice: Becoming a network engineer

Goose

Goose

Goose

Soldato
Joined
18 Oct 2002
Posts
4,804
Location
Kent
I've been thinking for some time about getting into IT as a career and as i have no formal IT qualifications or experience in an IT related job i've been trying to research what training options there. The best thing i've come up with so far is doing a degree with the Open University.

Through the OU website i was linked to careers advice website to try and get some idea what job exactly i'd like to do. The main list is here and this took my interest.

I was just wondering if anyone with experience in the field could give me some advice on get trained and whatnot.

Thanks.
 
These threads come up several times a week and my answer everytime:

DON'T DO IT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES WHAT SO EVER!!!!!
 
OU isn't a bad route as it includes some Cisco certs which is what you want to aim for as an network engineer.
 
a1ex2001 said:
These threads come up several times a week and my answer everytime:

DON'T DO IT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES WHAT SO EVER!!!!!
Click to expand...

I'd tend to agree. Even the "interesting" parts of IT get less than interesting.

However it is quite a good career so going down the OU route and getting some experience (as qualifications on their own aren't much good!)

I've been it IT for over 10 years and had enough (and working an an alternative career) but it has had more up than downs...
 
oddjob62 said:
I enjoy working in IT as to quite a few of my friends.
Click to expand...

Ditto, definately a good career - however you have to get a decent job that gives you some form of control and responsibility for it to be enjoyable. I sometimes think the people whinging about I.T. have a problem with their boss and not their work.
 
Goose said:
Is EVERY IT job a horrible waste of time? And if so, why?
Click to expand...

Every job isn't a waste of time, however a lot of people swallow the lines sold to them in TV adds or by Universities that IT is all megabucks and excitement. It isn't.

It's a good career as long as you don't go into it blindly just like any other career. I hear that Law is the new IT anyway!

Halfmad said:
I sometimes think the people whinging about I.T. have a problem with their boss and not their work.
Click to expand...

My boss is awesome. Working in IT not so. So you're wrong.
 
Working in IT is awesome. Been doing it for 20 years. Don't want to do anything else. I shudder to imagine what sort of jobs the people who don't like it have.

Perhaps they work in some rubbish little firm with one server and 20 desktop PC's. I'd hate that too.

It is a bit like working on cars. You can be fixing up bangers in some horrible hell hole under a bridge, or jetting around the world as part of an F1 team. In between the two there are all sorts of jobs that are not bad actually.
 
Stolly said:
Working in IT is awesome. Been doing it for 20 years. Don't want to do anything else. I shudder to imagine what sort of jobs the people who don't like it have.

Perhaps they work in some rubbish little firm with one server and 20 desktop PC's. I'd hate that too.

It is a bit like working on cars. You can be fixing up bangers in some horrible hell hole under a bridge, or jetting around the world as part of an F1 team. In between the two there are all sorts of jobs that are not bad actually.
Click to expand...

bingo.
 
I've only been working in IT for 4 years now but have to say i really enjoy it, don't see why we wouldn't be aloud to mention that considering more than enough people seem to be aloud to say how much they hate it :)

As for advice of how to get into it though *shrugs* not sure, i started with college and moved on from there, never bothered with university or other certifications, though i will be looking to do certs in the future to add to what i've learnt in experience (which i deem to be far more valuable to me now than any certification i could have got 4 years ago)
 
Stolly said:
Working in IT can be awesome.

Perhaps they work in some rubbish little firm with one server and 20 desktop PC's. I'd hate that too.
Click to expand...

Corrected for you. iT can be awesome. Anyway kit isn't exclusively what makes IT interesting. My VMware farm has 300GB of RAM and is connected to a NetApp filer and shelves yet it's just kit that is there to do a job.

Now if that job was modelling pulsars it would be interesting. Running peoples inboxes and sharing files is as dull as dishwater as would be administering such as system.

I'm playing Devils Advocate for the OP and saying IT isn't always what it is sold to be. It isn't all boring 1st line stuff too.

Fortune favours the prepared as it is...


oddjob62 said:
It was simply a retort to the "No! Don't Do it! IT sucks!" comments that usually turn up on these threads.
Click to expand...

I'm in the middle. IT can suck. IT can be jaw dropping. So have your rolleyes back!
 
You'll find it hard with no IT experience at all, so best off trying to get into a large blue chip company and start at the bottom (1st line / desktop support), gain experience and progress that way.
 
Duke said:
You'll find it hard with no IT experience at all, so best off trying to get into a large blue chip company and start at the bottom (1st line / desktop support), gain experience and progress that way.
Click to expand...

Just don't let your time on the front line spoil your view of IT...
 
Duke said:
You'll find it hard with no IT experience at all, so best off trying to get into a large blue chip company and start at the bottom (1st line / desktop support), gain experience and progress that way.
Click to expand...

I would recommend the opposite. I started relatively late (24). I started in a small outsourcing company. With a small company it's very easy to get involved with lots of project that you may not be able to in a big company.

I'm currently in a medium size company and even though i try to push new stuff their way, the juniors often are too busy with 1st line stuff to get to play with the more interesting stuff.

I guess neither is the "right" way to do it, a lot of it will come down to luck unforunately.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom