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by matthew.balthrop

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Hello there, i have a question for any Network Administrators out there, or those simply educated in Networking. I have some knowledge, i am currently going to school for Computer and Information Science and i am studying for the Net+ and CCNA certifications. My problem is actually applying the knowledge i am learning. I have a home network that i can mess around with a little bit, but i know that doesn't any where near prepare me for deploying a small to medium size network for say, a business. I was wondering how you all learned, how you were able to apply your knowledge leading up to making it a career. I appreciate your time and look forward to hearing from you all.

-alias

11 replies

by santeewelding

My career attends in part to evaluating such as you.

I can predict, given that you learn and pause to ask, the way looks open to you.

I have occasion to visit Rio Rancho a lot. I get lost, a lot, in that network called, Albuquerque.

by jdclyde

one, get an entry level networking job where you can learn from others. you will start as a go-fer, but if you watch, you will learn a lot.

check ebay for used equipment. I have several routers and switches for my home network.

use an esim, that comes with a study guide and labs to practice.

Any or all of these will move you forward greatly.

by santeewelding

To JD.

He reminds me a lot of the cigar-chomping City Editor in a newsroom where I once learned, and asked as you do.

by santeewelding

You will attend, once and for all, to the "o's" in your, "too's", before I further countenance your very existence.

Wasn't "o's" he jumped all over me about. Was first a temperature, and exactly where and how it was determined; then the correct spelling of the name of a business; and then my telephone contact with a very, very new widow before the coroner did.

I am sensitive to things when anyone takes the trouble to write.

by matthew.balthrop

Hello, Thank you for the responses. I wish i could jump into an entry-level position, i have two and a half years left in the military though so right now i am using my spare time to learn/apply as much as i can. I do have a little to work with, have a WRT54G Router running a hybrid of Static/DHCP to a Webserver and a few PC's, along with wireless to a laptop. Pretty simple though, so i got a hold of the Demo version of Boson Simulator. I will have to look into getting the Full Version. Any Simulator's that you all would recommend? I do appreciate the advice of you all who have been in my shoes at one point in time.

-alias

by jdclyde

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/CCNA-Virtual-Lab-Gold-Edition/Todd-Lammle/e/9780782130188/?itm=1

it has hands-on labs for you to follow.

It is also programmed in a way that you will not know the difference between the elab interface and if you were logged into a real router.

Another good reference:
http://www.routergod.com/

My fav is the Fabio interview. :D

[i]"Priscilla Oppenheimer

Fabio, wow, I hope you don?t mind me saying so, but I would have never guessed that you were interested in routing protocols.

Fabio

Do not apologize my darling. There are many things about Fabio that would surprise you.

Priscilla Oppenheimer

Well, let?s get started, what is it about IGRP that got you interested in it?

Fabio

Oh my sweet, special little flower of womanhood, you are so impetuous, you want Fabio to share with you the intimate and private details of my relationship with a routing protocol, do you think Fabio is the type of brute who would kiss and tell?"

by smallbiz-techwiz

In the book of Proverbs, it says that if you want to be wise, "walk with the wise". I found that to be true. I was working at a dead-end job until I found an opportunity to take a leap of faith into IT. The pay offered was less than I was used to, but I knew it would only be a stepping stone toward the future I wanted and I figured I could get by OK on it for a while.

The desire to learn is the key. I learned as much as I could from my boss, my co-workers, and... my mistakes.

Two years later, I was one of their top field engineers and others were coming to me for help. That's when I seized another opportunity and took a higher paying job with more demanding working conditions - but the guys I knew I would be working with were all top level engineers from around the world with multiple certifications. Sure, I got stuck with being on-call over the holidays, and had to do the dirty jobs no one else wanted, but I was in the company of IT "gods" and knew it was only temporary. Working in the trenches under pressure was what drove me to remember the tips and tricks they taught me. By asking lots of questions, and making an effort to get to know those guys, I received better training than any boot-camp or classroom could have offered. When three guys are standing around a server at 4:00AM and one of them discovers the answer - all three will remember it forever! They helped me pass my certification exams, and to this day we still e-mail each other for help with tough troubleshooting issues.

So Matthew, if you want to be wise - "walk with the wise". The rewards will come later.

by matthew.balthrop

I really wish more then anything i could at this point, my main problem is actually getting to. With my full time job, school and certifications to study for, along with a girlfriend and a dog i am not really able to get a part time job for a company. I would quit my current job, but i don't think the military would think too kindly about that. My main worry is that i will have my certifications, most of my school done and get out of the military still not having any hands on experience with a network larger then the one i have at home. I guess i will just have to acquire as much knowledge as i can, apply it as much as possible, and then let the real learning begin when i get into an entry level position after the military.

-alias

by jdclyde

that the military does need techs, right?

Have you looked into a transfer? You will do that walk, under very demanding conditions.

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