Current Events > Stuff is starting to get real at work again... These are stressful times.

(+) Yeah! (+)

My job is moving to a new corporate office in a few months, and I'm responsible for the network piece. Internet providers, data MPLS providers, and VoIP MPLS providers...

It's gonna be about $450k worth of network equipment for the network I've designed and we just ordered the equipment today. The legal department should be done reviewing contracts for one of the internet providers tomorrow.

Stuff is starting to take shape. This is both stressful and exciting. This will be the biggest network I've ever designed, and it will be awesome once it is all set up and working.
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how did you get enough experience to desigh a ntework like that?

so far I only ever do grunt work changing the freaking cables when people move around >_>
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orcus_snake posted...

how did you get enough experience to desigh a ntework like that?

so far I only ever do grunt work changing the freaking cables when people move around >_>

I worked my way up through getting certifications. In November of 2012, I got a job as an entry level NOC tech, which was pretty much the perfect spot for me at the time. I knew a tiny bit about networking, and I was on and off studying for Cisco certs. About 6 months into that job, I hadn't progressed as much as I thought I would. So, I got serious about studying in May of 2013.

8/22/2013 - CCENT exam passed (Cisco Certified Entry Networking Technician)

After studying for and passing the CCENT exam, I knew a ton more about networking than I did before. I then went on to study for the CCNA.

12/23/2013 - CCNA Routing and Switching exam passed (Cisco Certified Network Associate)

After studying for and passing the CCNA route/switch exam, I gained a lot more knowledge still. I was able to diagnose and troubleshoot more complex networking problems on my own. I opted to go for CCNA Security next.

- I got promoted to "Tier II Data Technician" in the NOC. I was essentially the lead tech for networking trouble tickets that came in.

6/25/2014 - CCNA Security exam passed

Again, I gained a lot of knowledge here. I understood how VPN tunnels worked, which was my primary reason for wanting to get this certification. A couple months later, we happened to get a trouble ticket about VPN tunnel connectivity that I was able to run with on my own and solve by working with carriers and the customer.

I just kept getting better and better as I studied more and more and got more certs. Next up was the 3 CCNP Routing and Switching exams. CCNP Route, CCNP Switch, and CCNP TShoot

- I got promoted to network engineer. This is where I started getting a bit of experience with network design. I mostly dealt with small networks for customers with just a router or two and a few switches at the most.

(Can't remember the exact date) - CCNP Route passed

Finally, I learned about BGP, which is the major routing protocol that makes the internet work. After I passed CCNP Route, one of our customers had a complex routing problem between the US and China that reoccurred. It had been an issue that would pop up every few months, but no one was able to solve it. I dug in and got it solved within a few days. CITIC, A telecom in China, was causing global routing loops for a ton of networks. I had them put a fix in place for ours, but I have no idea if they ever fixed the

February 2016 - CCNP Switch passed

I don't know why this kept happening, but shortly after I passed CCNP switch, a customer had a complex switching problem that I was able to resolve on my own. I think we'd just get complex things and escalate them to engineers without looking into the issues too much. The higher ups definitely noticed that I was getting better and better at my job as I kept studying.

April 2016 - CCNP Tshoot passed

I didn't study for this exam much. It really just covers subjects from the switch and tshoot exams. I bought a book for it and realized it was essentially just ~900 pages of review, so I just decided to take the exam and see how I did. I failed the first time because the exam format is way different and I ran out of time. I took it a week later and passed. I wouldn't say I got better after taking this exam, but after passing the 3rd of 3 exams, I officially had the cert.

CCNP level certs are extremely valuable, and tons companies are looking for network people who have them. The company I work for being one of those, and they hired me in May of 2016.
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Did you go to school, or was it just online stuff to get your certificates?
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Returning_CEmen posted...

Did you go to school, or was it just online stuff to get your certificates?

I used online resources and the Cisco Press books. I typically buy the physical books to read through for studying and I buy the digital version after passing the exam so that I can always have it for reference.
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CableZL posted...

orcus_snake posted...

how did you get enough experience to desigh a ntework like that?

so far I only ever do grunt work changing the freaking cables when people move around >_>

I worked my way up through getting certifications. In November of 2012, I got a job as an entry level NOC tech, which was pretty much the perfect spot for me at the time. I knew a tiny bit about networking, and I was on and off studying for Cisco certs. About 6 months into that job, I hadn't progressed as much as I thought I would. So, I got serious about studying in May of 2013.

8/22/2013 - CCENT exam passed (Cisco Certified Entry Networking Technician)

After studying for and passing the CCENT exam, I knew a ton more about networking than I did before. I then went on to study for the CCNA.

12/23/2013 - CCNA Routing and Switching exam passed (Cisco Certified Network Associate)

After studying for and passing the CCNA route/switch exam, I gained a lot more knowledge still. I was able to diagnose and troubleshoot more complex networking problems on my own. I opted to go for CCNA Security next.

- I got promoted to "Tier II Data Technician" in the NOC. I was essentially the lead tech for networking trouble tickets that came in.

6/25/2014 - CCNA Security exam passed

Again, I gained a lot of knowledge here. I understood how VPN tunnels worked, which was my primary reason for wanting to get this certification. A couple months later, we happened to get a trouble ticket about VPN tunnel connectivity that I was able to run with on my own and solve by working with carriers and the customer.

I just kept getting better and better as I studied more and more and got more certs. Next up was the 3 CCNP Routing and Switching exams. CCNP Route, CCNP Switch, and CCNP TShoot

- I got promoted to network engineer. This is where I started getting a bit of experience with network design. I mostly dealt with small networks for customers with just a router or two and a few switches at the most.

(Can't remember the exact date) - CCNP Route passed

Finally, I learned about BGP, which is the major routing protocol that makes the internet work. After I passed CCNP Route, one of our customers had a complex routing problem between the US and China that reoccurred. It had been an issue that would pop up every few months, but no one was able to solve it. I dug in and got it solved within a few days. CITIC, A telecom in China, was causing global routing loops for a ton of networks. I had them put a fix in place for ours, but I have no idea if they ever fixed the

February 2016 - CCNP Switch passed

I don't know why this kept happening, but shortly after I passed CCNP switch, a customer had a complex switching problem that I was able to resolve on my own. I think we'd just get complex things and escalate them to engineers without looking into the issues too much. The higher ups definitely noticed that I was getting better and better at my job as I kept studying.

April 2016 - CCNP Tshoot passed

I didn't study for this exam much. It really just covers subjects from the switch and tshoot exams. I bought a book for it and realized it was essentially just ~900 pages of review, so I just decided to take the exam and see how I did. I failed the first time because the exam format is way different and I ran out of time. I took it a week later and passed. I wouldn't say I got better after taking this exam, but after passing the 3rd of 3 exams, I officially had the cert.

CCNP level certs are extremely valuable, and tons companies are looking for network people who have them. The company I work for being one of those, and they hired me in May of 2016.

excellent, ncie job bud.
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orcus_snake posted...

excellent, ncie job bud.

Thanks

I think I'm getting to the point where I'm ready to put down Breath of the Wild for a while and start studying again... Getting started is always the most difficult part for me. I read through about a quarter of the book for CCNA wireless, but then I stopped when I got my Nintendo Switch.
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