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I'll share a little advice/experience as well, as I have been in enterprise networking and security for almost 7 years now - in IT in general for well over 10, working Senior-level positions for much for much of that time. That may sound like not a lot to those who have careers for 20 or 30 years, but I am constantly hired to advise/assist/replace those folks who have been in the industry for a while, so I must be doing something right. I've contracted for much of my career so if you are looking for advice on how to get a steady gig for 20 years, don't ask me. I hate to stagnate and most companies cannot keep me engaged and challenged.


If you want experience, but have none, expect to start in the trenches - but that does not mean janitor. Many companies in the DFW area have large NOCs or help desk-type facilities, where you can get solid, industry-respected experience if you are willing to put in the time and have a solid theoretical knowledge-base for the interview process. Citi is a great example, same with AT&T. They are both in Las Colinas. NEC is also there, they are a large outsourcer-provider.


Few companies want to hire a newb CCNA to break their network, most times you will start in a help desk role, Network Operations Center, or likewise. This will give you a lot of IT exposure and general experience, and generally bridges you towards the network analyst/engineer position you want. I worked help desk part time at a community college until their lead switch tech for the entire district retired and they needed another. I received great reviews from some of the administrators of my local campus and landed the job. Career-wise it was the break I needed as I've had my fourth point of contact strapped to an Acme rocket ever since, professionally speaking.

Job descriptions are a great way to see what they may ask you to do - I always look at it as a learning opportunity. Certifications can really help you get your foot in the door for an interview, but mean very little once you sit down and speak face to face. I've conducted a multitude as the interviewer and it is very easy to spot a person who knows the theory, and someone who is trying to bull you. Don't be the second type of guy - it will get you blacklisted very quickly.

I'm not sure where you live, but in the DFW the networking arena is a small one. I wind up working with a lot of the same people on multiple gigs, and your name becomes your brand. Do not underestimate the power of a strong reputation, whether it be positive or negative. Your name is your currency, and references are what backs the note. Keep in touch with people! LinkedIn is important in that regard.

Be earnest, have a thirst for knowledge, love to learn, and be HONEST about your knowledge. I would rather hire someone who loves the tech but doesn't know as much, than someone who knows a whole bunch more but is just there for a 9 to 5 gig. The latter people will always be around, but they are always liabilities to the organizations they are with.

All of the fantastic advice WildBill put on the table is true of IT as well as QA/QC - resumes are just bait to land an interview. I find LinkedIn is more useful for me than job boards. However, when just starting out - WildBill nailed it. You need to custom tailor your resume to fit the position you are looking for. I've even re-wrote portions of my resume to submit for certain jobs simply because I could emphasize a specific strong point that was relevant, truthful, but not prominent in my general resume.

Dice, Monster, CareerBuilder are the big three when it comes to IT jobs. Search them, and apply away.




One last tidbit - currently I've found across the country, there are an abundance of under-qualified job seekers, plenty of jobs, and a serious shortage of seasoned, skilled network engineers looking for work. You can still demand top dollar in this market with the right background and references. I'd be happy to help anyone looking to break into the industry. I cannot get you a job, but I can certainly help you get certified and point you towards some recruiters I know.

AndyC wrote:I recently certified as a Cisco CCNA but don't have any work-experience in the field yet, so I'm looking for a starter or junior position where I can't do too much damage while I'm gaining experience

I have a lot of time in repairing PC-type hardware and installing/hardening OS's and am familiar with most versions of Windows as well as 2000 and some 2003 Server. I have a fair amount of experience with Linux (Mandrake/Mandriva, Red Hat and Ubuntu) and a little Mac OSX (thanks to my Hackintosh, a Mac OS running on a PC) - and I have a lot of malware and data-recovery experience along with a formal computer-forensics certification.

I've spent time in Technical Support and have been a technical trainer for that section of the company, training newcomers and coaching existing staff in technical and soft-skills.

I can travel in a radius of 20 miles or so from Euless (near Grapevine), so if anybody has any job-leads, I'd surely appreciate it. I hate saying this and no offense to anybody - but I'd like to keep my personal info as private as possible, so I'd prefer not to do the whole "Send me your resume and I'll pass it along to a buddy of mine" kind of thing; I've unfortunately been bitten hard that way before.

Did you ever find work in the field as you desired?