What to do in IT ?

[Rotterdams]

Hi guys,

 

I work as a ICT servicedesk employee. For almost 2 years now.

I really want to learn more and develop myself so I can change my job in the future. I dont want to be at a servicedesk and resetting passwords all day long lol. Getting phone calls nonstop isnt really my dreamjob anyway.

 

I want to do hardcore stuff but what is the future? 

 

Microsoft server?

Cisco networking?

 

I see alot of work vacancy in server envirements. I rarely see cisco(networking) vacancys which makes me worried because at the looks of it, cisco looks more fun. Being able to use commands etc.

 

So what is the future in ICT ? What are your thoughts about it?

 

Im from Europe.

[Lurick]

Depending on how you look at it, I would say the lack of vacancies is a good thing because it means jobs are getting filled quickly and/or not a lot of people are leaving. I personally love networking and enjoy going to work every day. It's an ever changing field that keeps you on your toes so there is always something new on the horizon to work with.

 

Are you looking for jobs at a specific company for networking or just in general?

[Rotterdams]

46 minutes ago, Lurick said:

Depending on how you look at it, I would say the lack of vacancies is a good thing because it means jobs are getting filled quickly and/or not a lot of people are leaving. I personally love networking and enjoy going to work every day. It's an ever changing field that keeps you on your toes so there is always something new on the horizon to work with.

 

Are you looking for jobs at a specific company for networking or just in general?

Just in general really.

 

What kind of job do you have? How did you get there? Do you have Cisco certifications or you went a different route?

[Lurick]

I've got a job doing solution validation for customers, we take their future network designs/plans and mock them up and test them out, see what breaks, doesn't break, how it breaks, etc. It's a lot of fun really.

I actually got into the job I have now through school, I was getting my Associates degree in Networking Technology and they had CCNA and CCNP classes and while I was taking some of the courses a recruiter came through and I handed in my resume, and that's what got me started. Having certification was a huge plus for me but there were people who got into jobs in the company doing other networking stuff without any certs to start with, just having good drive and a willingness to work hard and improve.

[Rotterdams]

2 minutes ago, Lurick said:

I've got a job doing solution validation for customers, we take their future network designs/plans and mock them up and test them out, see what breaks, doesn't break, how it breaks, etc. It's a lot of fun really.

I actually got into the job I have now through school, I was getting my Associates degree in Networking Technology and they had CCNA and CCNP classes and while I was taking some of the courses a recruiter came through and I handed in my resume, and that's what got me started. Having certification was a huge plus for me but there were people who got into jobs in the company doing other networking stuff without any certs to start with, just having good drive and a willingness to work hard and improve.

 

I only have expierence with Windows and Windows server systems.

People say Cisco is kinda dying and that I should focus on Juniper, Aruba...so on and on...

What are your thoughts?

 

I was thinking to get my CCENT, CCNA and CCNP.

 

But im kinda greedy to pay 80$ a month to CBT nuggets. Its just way to expensive.

And no, the company where I work at wont pay it for me lol

[Lurick]

Well I know recently there was talk of Juniper looking to sell, kind of fizzled out lately but if that's anything to go by then Cisco is definitely not dying, lol. Cisco isn't doing as hot as they used to be, sure, but they are looking to change and still growing fairly well.

 

As for certifications, if you're at least semi-competent in the bare bare basics (like, do you know what an IPv4 address is) I would skip the CCENT all together and just start at the CCNA level. It's a little more fast paced but you pretty much get the same knowledge and then some, and it saves you the cost of a certification which is $125 so that would make up for the cost of CBT Nuggets and then some.

There are a lot of free guides on YouTube so I would start there.

[Rotterdams]

4 minutes ago, Lurick said:

Well I know recently there was talk of Juniper looking to sell, kind of fizzled out lately but if that's anything to go by then Cisco is definitely not dying, lol. Cisco isn't doing as hot as they used to be, sure, but they are looking to change and still growing fairly well.

 

As for certifications, if you're at least semi-competent in the bare bare basics (like, do you know what an IPv4 address is) I would skip the CCENT all together and just start at the CCNA level. It's a little more fast paced but you pretty much get the same knowledge and then some, and it saves you the cost of a certification which is $125 so that would make up for the cost of CBT Nuggets and then some.

There are a lot of free guides on YouTube so I would start there.

People also say that most companies these days outsouce their networkmanagement.

This means its a dying branche in general?

 

I dont want to be kicked out in the future or be a loser who cant find a job lol

[Lurick]

Just now, Rotterdams said:

People also say that most companies these days outsouce their networkmanagement.

This means its a dying branche in general?

 

I dont want to be kicked out in the future or be a loser who cant find a job lol

 

From what I've seen a lot of companies like to keep their management in house, but then again I work with companies who have locations all over the world and mostly work with people local to the US, so that might just be me. I know Google and Facebook are insourcing their networking gear with custom made switches and whatnot. But as for the field itself I don't see it dying any time soon, there is still a lot of new tech coming up all over the place, so I wouldn't dwell on that too much.

[Satisfoxy]

Well its always slow so basically nothing all day.

Here is a list of things I do:

1. Listen to Music.
2. Watch Hulu or Netflix.
3. Program scripts.
4. Web surf.
5. Complain.

Here is the list of things I sometimes get to do:

1. Setup Windows on new PCs.

[Guest Kloaked]

First, you need to figure out what you actually enjoy doing, because you need to actually like what you're doing if you want to work at it full-time. Secondly, the people you work with is also very important to take into account. You don't want to prioritize working with assholes all day and making $100k a year over working with amazing people and making half that. Money isn't everything. Third, you have the internet. You can get free resources on just about any profession to start.

 

I'm a junior application developer (we use Epicor where I work), but I was originally going to school for just "IT" in general. I was planning on working at our Aflac HQ here and work my way up; instead I got the opportunity to work where I'm at now making less money but being a part of a team of people who I actually look forward to seeing every day that I come to work. I wake up in the morning looking forward to work, and I feel blessed to have this job. I don't care that I only make $35k a year. I get treated like a human being here, and I'm not just some number on a manager's sheet.

 

From my experience talking with my boss and his boss, they all want to grow our department (development) with three new positions next year. So basically we're going to outnumber our IT department by three people.

 

Programming/development are secure jobs from what I understand, since there's always a need for it. There's also networking, and those guys are paid a lot of money once you get up there (just like any field really). So it just depends on what you like.