Thread by @ccieby30

So You Want to Become a Network Engineer..... #30DaysofThreads

1. First off, What is a Network Engineer?

Network Engineers are the people who keep the internet up and running. We focus on the design, implementation, security and ongoing maintenance of a business' network infrastructure and ensure that it is available to our end users.

2. Network Engineers need a strong understanding of computer networking protocols, how they work and when/why to use them. For most employers, the best way to show you have these skills is by obtaining your CCNA in Routing and Switching.

3. What is the CCNA?

The CCNA (Cisco Certified Network Associate) is a certification that is exam tests a candidate's knowledge and skills required to install, operate, and troubleshoot a small to medium-size enterprise branch network.

4. This includes understanding routing and switching protocols, foundations of LAN/WANs, IP Addressing (v4 and v6), VLANs, Network Security, and automation...just to name a few things.

5. How do you get your CCNA?
First, navigate on over to Cisco's Certification Site to get the exam topics and recommended study books. Next, check out my article on resources and study plans. ccieby30.com/post/preparing…

Study and #LabEveryday!

6. Outside of our Tech Skills, Network Engineers also need strong analytical, communication and organization skills. I'm going expand on communication a bit here: About 85% of the job is based on Communication.

6 (cont.) We are constantly interacting with people who may not be as technical and we need to be able to translate the highly technical stuff to plain English.

7. Also DOCUMENTATION IS EVERYTHING.

It makes everyone's life easier.

8. Finally how to get a job in the field

While you're studying spend some time on Twitter and LinkedIn connecting with other Engineers. This helps with your studies as you're able to discuss challenging topics with other people in the field and It gets your name out there.

8 (cont.) This can be a slow process but don't get discouraged! connect with Recruiters and start building relationships. Another good thing is looking at job descriptions for entry-level roles to give you an idea of what employers are looking for.

9. This concludes my thread! If you'd like more detail on these topics, I wrote a detailed blog post with links to resources! ccieby30.com/post/so-you-wa…

Please feel free to drop some advice that you have as well. There are many paths to this destination!