Any network engineers?

[Rbutler]

So i have a golden opportunity and it sounds like what a network engineer does. Long story short ill be helping design and build and implement 20-30 networks around the west coast. Ill be WAYYYY behind to curve to start but im a quick learner and have a great work ethic.

for me its a a golden opportunity because ill be doing this for a government entity and will be a MASSIVE resume booster. I will not be maintaining a thing just building to their specs and confirming it all works as supposed to and then moving to the next location.

Just want to see how you like your work? How large of a network did you build?

[Fizz]

If someone else spec'ed out the subnetting, VLANs, Firewall rules, VPNs, internet connections, QoS/Load balancing, etc. then you wouldn't be considered an engineer, but a network technician/installer.

I was in network operations for a small ISP for a few years and I incorporated last year and do Voice and managed IT services. Basically things that pay monthly. I make more money if I don't work.

The best thing about networks is if you do your job right the first time maintenance is easy going forward.

Implementing other people's designs I don't find stimulating (anymore), but great experience if it's a field you're looking to get into.

IMO, probably the best thing about computer networking is that it doesn't matter how technology changes in terms of software or hardware; you always need talent that can connect it all together.

Personally, I can't stand technology in government. You don't do things the best way, you do things in a way that are SOP. Doesn't matter if it's not cost effective, you can get a lot better value out of an alternative, etc. You do it the same way because that's how things are done.

VS the private sector, there's incentive to develop and be competitive and understand how technology delivers value so that information can be a driver of business. The government has no such incentives, so it's slow to move.

[d33pt]

I always think of this article when it comes to the gov and networks.

https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/...-cisco-router/

[bigmike82]

"Implementing other people's designs I don't find stimulating (anymore), but great experience if it's a field you're looking to get into."
Second this. Especially at first, any mistake you make is (generally) easy and quick to fix. Much less pressure with tons of potential for learning by studying the configs. Doubly so if you get different engineers who design and implement things slightly differently.

It's a really great field to be in because what you know and what you can do still counts for a lot but at the same time you do have the opportunity, given certs and degrees, to advance your career to incredible heights. Combine that with lots of demand all over the country, you should be excited to get started.

[Dragunov]

Originally Posted by Rbutler

So i have a golden opportunity and it sounds like what a network engineer does. Long story short ill be helping design and build and implement 20-30 networks around the west coast. Ill be WAYYYY behind to curve to start but im a quick learner and have a great work ethic.

for me its a a golden opportunity because ill be doing this for a government entity and will be a MASSIVE resume booster. I will not be maintaining a thing just building to their specs and confirming it all works as supposed to and then moving to the next location.

Just want to see how you like your work? How large of a network did you build?

I did work involving SIPRNET for years. WAY different than NIPRNET. It was very stressful. I consider that side of computing to be boring, and tedious... For me, at least.

However, for the right person, it would be a fantastic, and profitable career.

I get more satisfaction from building systems for an individuals needs.

[tomrkba]

Originally Posted by Rbutler

So i have a golden opportunity and it sounds like what a network engineer does. Long story short ill be helping design and build and implement 20-30 networks around the west coast. Ill be WAYYYY behind to curve to start but im a quick learner and have a great work ethic.

for me its a a golden opportunity because ill be doing this for a government entity and will be a MASSIVE resume booster. I will not be maintaining a thing just building to their specs and confirming it all works as supposed to and then moving to the next location.

Just want to see how you like your work? How large of a network did you build?

Do you have the relevant portions of The TCP/IP Guide memorized yet? Do you know which routing protocol(s) they are using? Are you good at ACL’s and firewalls and testing (necessary evil despite maybe not being in “security”)?

[Rbutler]

Originally Posted by tomrkba

Do you have the relevant portions of The TCP/IP Guide memorized yet? Do you know which routing protocol(s) they are using? Are you good at ACL’s and firewalls and testing (necessary evil despite maybe not being in “security”)?

Honestly I just got my CCNA but my company is aware of my drive and ability to work in a stressful environment.

so just learned more basically we are life cycling the core components and I will be the team member responsible for configuring the switches 7/9k series. There are separate firewalls that are already in place so i wont be configuring those. ACLs keep them close to the source since were only running extended. Stage one is mapping and where ill be working with our senior engineer on what gets blocked where.

Most of this sounds like configuring the ports in the proper VLANs, proper port security and then troubleshooting the issues that pop up. Swapping switches on paper is easy, map the configs implement the configs swap and BAM it works right! (sarcasm of course)

Its one reason I think its a golden opportunity because ill have 30-40 different systems to learn on and will be doing a lot of troubleshooting and learning on the fly which is how I do best. I know theres a lot more too it, but without the brief they wont give us much more and the only way to get the brief is take the gig.

[bigmike82]

Take the gig. The nexus line is used a lot in tons of different data centers and enterprises, so that experience is very valuable.

[J Money]

Sounds like a good opportunity to gain some experience. My company designs complex carrier grade solutions, retail, financial, healthcare and .gov work. Hopefully you gain some broad understanding of topology, compliance and implementation. The next wave of tech careers will be focused around IoT and security. Focus on expanding your knowledgebase to those verticals. Pm me if you have any questions.

[catmman]

Do it and volunteer at your local college if they have a CCNA program. You don't want to get pigeonholed. Networking is a big world and you want lots of contacts and you will never be out of work.