How To Get The Entry Level First Network Job?

I am often asked for advice on how to enter the networking job market. My responses have changed a bit over the years as the market has changed, but overall my reaction remains the same. This is because the core of the network has not changed. Still, the two devices must be able to communicate with each other.

The basic methodology to ensure proper communication hasn't really changed since the dumb terminal to the head unit was changed during the days of a direct serial connection. You must initiate communication, respond to initiation, and respond to the agreement on how to communicate. In the IP world, this is the well-known "3-way handshake" associated with SYN, SYN-ACK, and ACK packets.

To start your first entry level network engineer job, you must be able to set up a system that establishes communication between the two parties before the relevant data is passed. The first landing always requires constant luck, but a few tips increase your chances of success.

Specialized In The Field.

The term "network administrator" can historically refer to different types of positions. For example, in the 1990s, it often meant managing a Novell file server. It may currently appear in an advertisement for a Windows server administrator. It can also mean LAN, WAN or SAN management.

The saturation of acronyms is a fact of networks. Positions may require knowledge of Open Shortest Path First or Border Gateway Protocol. On the voice side, there are network administrators whose primary role is to manage the Voice over IP network. Listed below are the necessary network services such as Domain Name System (DNS), Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP), Lightweight Directory Access Protocol, Remote Dial-Up Authentication Service, and Active Directory.

Networking is a very broad area and it is important to determine and become familiar with a particular niche. Composer Billy Joel once said that he was not outstanding as a pianist, but rather as a pianist because he was capable on the worldly field. Early in your career, you must focus on specific aspects of network management in order to compete with the average area.

However, as you progress down the selected path, the opposite is true. Due to the intertwined aspects of networking and IT in general, it is important to understand how your experience contributes to the overall IT environment as you progress through your networking career.

When trying to establish yourself in the networks, it is advantageous to focus on being competent in one area and at the same time expand your knowledge in other aspects of the network and IT. In fact, when you reach your first network position, your exposure to other elements occurs based on that position.

Certification & Experience

After a career decision has been made, it is important to consider what education is available and what it takes to excel in the field. A few years ago, getting certified was as easy as taking a course and passing an exam or set of exams. This is a proven way to test your knowledge.

However, the problem is that the applied knowledge was not tested. The market was flooded with IT staff with multiple certifications. Due to the rapid growth of the IT job market at the time, in many cases a certification provided more than one job offer, but it applied to how network principles were applied in real-life situations. It was not clearly demonstrated by the person.

Without the benefits of experience, applying knowledge from time to time becomes an insurmountable task. I remember an applicant who had one of the most popular certifications at the time a few years ago and was very familiar with how TCP works. However, when the requester shows evidence of a simple network connection problem (the client had an incorrect DNS server entry and issued an unknown request to an unknown DNS server), the requester diagnosed the problem. Could not assign group "Rejected" later.

This does not mean that authentication is not important, but that it is not a magic wand to win killer network jobs. Getting certified means much more (and is more valuable) if you first reach a certain level of experience. Fortunately, earning some of the most in-demand certifications today requires some experience in the industry.

Additionally, many entry-level networking jobs require a college degree, while others do not. Recruitment requirements often require a degree in a relevant discipline or equivalent experience. A relevant degree may meet the experience requirements.