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Home > Archive > CCNA > December 2000 > Encouraging!!!
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| I've seen a lot of posts here about the possibility/probability of the CCNA helping them in their networking careers.
My boss asked me yesterday to shadow a technical whizz contractor and help her reconfigure some access lists. This is due to my CCNA cert. Today, I find myself having to continue the work without her. Although this throws me in at the deep end, I am happy for the opportunity.
The ONLY reason my boss approached me is because I'm the one member of his team who has the Cert.
I didn't think this would be happening for at least a year. Just a message to let everyone know that it WILL all be worth it eventually.
M
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| Good to know, micron, what type of employer do you work for anyway??
Just a theory, but I think certain geographic areas might be better for just starting out. Where I live seems to be flooded with CCNA's with no experience, so employers are being more picky, and requiring MCSE and other experience. | |
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| quote:
Originally posted by arkmay:
Good to know, micron, what type of employer do you work for anyway??
Just a theory, but I think certain geographic areas might be better for just starting out. Where I live seems to be flooded with CCNA's with no experience, so employers are being more picky, and requiring MCSE and other experience.
Heh well you're lucky you aren't in Cali, I have to compete with all the techies from the Silicon Valley. Plus there are Cisco training centers all over the place which manage to stay in business, so I guess they are regularly kicking out CCNA's.
I'm interviewing today with a VoIP company in for a Network Tech position monitoring their network. I would be working with switches and gateways, but no routers!
But one thing is certain, every employer I spoke with KNOWS what a CCNA is, and it sure don't hurt. =)
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B.S. in Telecommunications Management, Network+, CCNA - Still can't type, still no job! | |
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| Arkmay,
I live and work in the same area that you live in. I am not sure why you are having problems here, unless you have zero computer expierience. In this area you have IBM, Sprint, Cisco, MCI, AT&T, Nortel... just to name a few.
Iced | |
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| I live here in the So Cal area near Rore(bunch of numbers) AND I have 'zero computer experence'.
I don't have any certs yet and am finding this stuff really hard but when I do I guess I'll end up selling this house I'm in and heading for parts unknown. (Not that leaving the Left Coast would bother me).
...hummp, maybe Europe!
Ron | |
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| Hope so, Mike! All I'm getting is BS from recruitment agencies who don't seem to have the time of day for me, and almost look on my CCNA as being of no worth. Oh well, I've just got to ditch that and keep my focus...
Ciao,
Deets | |
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| Iced,
Yes I am talking to some of those companies, but I dont have extensive experience. 2 years of LAN support is about all. Cisco said come back when I am CCNP with router experience. Nortel said "what is a CCNA?, this is Nortel" I am getting some encoutaging dialog with a couple of companies where I know insiders, I think that is the ticket. | |
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| Are you only trying for perm jobs? I would suggest you send your resume to a couple of contracting firms in this area. Manpower has the largest account with Cisco that I know of. If you have a four year degree... then submit a resume to computer horizons.. they have the largest account with AT&T. | |
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| Also, I know this probably is not the case.. but... Dont be picky when it comes to money. If someone offers you job where you will gain router experience.. take it. | |
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| Thanks Iced,
Yes I do have a 4 year degree, and I will contact those companies. Actually, I have an interview for a permanent position with AT&T next monday. Hope I dont jinx myself by mentioning it here. Of course I would take whatever they would pay to get some meaningful carreer building experience.
Most NOC jobs require 24x7 shift work, oh well, I guess I can adjust. Isnt that what they make coffee for? | |
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| I work in a NOC and its not 24x7. I am only on call once a month, and only during my shift on the weekends. It really differs depending on your department and the customers networks you manage. Everything I do can be done at any location with 2 phone lines, which is nice. Even if I get paged on the weekend I am on call, I can do everything from home. Well, everything but use site manager for nortel... but thats a whole differnt topic. Good luck in your interviews and please let us know how things go 
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| Thanks Iced, I will let you know how it goes.
While I have done quite a bit with desktops and small LAN's, it has taken some research to figure out where an entry level router person would fit in this industry. Most of the LAN's I have worked on were for small businesses, and there usually were no routers and switches.
By the way , Iced, who do you work for?
email if you want, mailmosley@yahoo.com.
Thanks again, and good luck to fellow CCNAers | |
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| Iced,
Is it impossible for a CCNA to find employment using their Cisco router/switch skills without any experience?? I have about a year and a half of LAN experience but not any real Cisco specific experience.
Cheers | |
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| I currently work for MCI/Worldcom. I first obtained Router experience in a small company (12 routers, 1 pix), then moved on to working for the State of North Carolina managing the State WAN for all State agencies (about 2000 routers). If you have the opportunity to get into a telco such as AT&T, even at 1st level, you will be much better off. The experience I gained by working for the small company and the state only provided me with enough experience to get my current job. BUT, in the last 3 months I have learned more about routers and WAN than my entire job history. Judging by what I have seen, there is no comparison to working with a VAST array of equipment and configs. One example that comes to mind is that at both of my previous jobs EIGRP was THE routing protocol... so I had zero experience with OSPF, RIP, or IGRP. In my current enviorment on a daily basis I am troubleshooting routing problems with almost every protocol. I am sure you know all of this already. What I can say is that at the first job I had that provided me with router experience I was brought in to mainly work on the LAN side of things as that was my background. I think that anyone looking for an entry level position into routers should actually be looking for a position that will utilize most of their past job expereince/specialties but will also allow them to gain the router exp. | |
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| I would say yes, definitly. I was not even CCNA and I got all 3 of the jobs I just wrote about. | |
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| So how do we get the experience if its impossible to get a job using our Cisco skills??
Cheers | |
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| quote:
Originally posted by Iced:
I think that anyone looking for an entry level position into routers should actually be looking for a position that will utilize most of their past job expereince/specialties but will also allow them to gain the router exp.
CCNA to someone interviewing you does mean something, but not as much as what you have done in the past. Someone that has no exp in computers or networking but has a CCNA will be able to find a job... it will just take them a long time (most likely), and it certainly wont be paying them anywhere close to market value. | |
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| Thanks for the clarification. I have 1 1/2 years of LAN exerience and volunteer with a local Linux group to work on community projects for the knowledge and experience. I hope my newly obtained CCNA will help me get into the door of a larger company where I can eventually get some Cisco experience.
Thanks again,
Cheers | |
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| If it makes anyone feel better, I guy I work with just got a job for almost 60K, with no exper and just a ccna. He had to relocate though
Steve_NTS
CCNA, CCDA, CNA 4.11, Network+, A+
[This message has been edited by Steve_NTS (edited 12-07-2000).] | |
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| Where did he relocate to??? and did he have zero router experience?? or zero IT experience overall?? Nice news though. Thanks for the upbeat news for us new CCNA's. | |
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| Thanks Ice and Steve, I need that!
I have never worked with computer and have no networking pass to speak of but I WILL HAVE A CCNA and I am willing to relocate.
I also don't think I'll get that great networking job anytime soon but I'm willing to take that low money job to get some experence. I'm just hoping to land a job where the employer will pay for a CCDA and maybe even a CCNP with a MCP somewhere in there.
I now make a little under 40k a year as a school custodian and bought a house this year but am willing to give it up to chase a Cisco life. It does seem worth it to me even tho it's so hard being so new to all this. But I know I'll make it!
Ron | |
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| Ron,
Great attitude!!!! Just study and work hard. I have networking experience, just no real WAN experience  But like you, I am willing to take a lower paying job or volunteer for free for the chance to learn and build my career!!! | |
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| A friend of mine just picked up a job by telling the company he was working on hs CCNA. He was a salesman with an MCP wanting to come over to the dark side. He beat out guys with MCSE's soley on the fact that sat him down with a 20 question CCNA prep exam and he missed only one question. A little knowledge with the right attitude goes along way.
The guy also has excellent customer presence. A trait more of us should have. | |
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| When I interviewed for the job I just started a few weeks ago, they were very impressed with my career aspirations. I told them I was working on my MCSE Win2K track, with a specialty in Exchange 2000. I also mentioned that I am pursuing my Cisco certification, and that my ultimate goal is to be a CCIE within the next year.
Of course, since this is a senior-level position supporting an enormous Exchange 5.5 server environment, they grilled me on my technical knowledge of NT Server and Exchange Server, including design & operational best practices and disaster recovery. I knocked their socks off, and I got the job.
I don't know to what extent my certifications played a role in their decision to hire me, but I would imagine that my poise and knowledgeability during the interview, combined with the ambitious plans stated in my resume helped convince them that I was the kind of person they wanted for the job.
Had the interview been for a Cisco position, I would have been on shakier ground, because I hardly consider myself an expert yet. This job will carry my through to the day that I *will* be able to call myself a Cisco Certified Internetworking Expert, and I'll be able to do in the Cisco field what I'm doing now in the Exchange field.
Cheers,
Skip | |
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| You folks all seem to have the right attitude-hard work and a willingness to learn.
I doff my hat...
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Spydah MD, FCAP, A+, Network+.
"I'm not afraid to die. I just don't want to be there!"-Woody Allen |
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