Cody Deluisio - Five Tips On How To Become A Network Engineer

When To Start — Degree Or Certifications?

This is a big question in the field of networking and IT in general — should I get a degree first or a certification? This comes down to your personal preference and circumstances. I think they are both important — the IT degree is general and should provide you with a larger range of skills in the IT industry, whether it’s a computer science degree, information technology degree, or other degrees.

Many professionals like Cody Deluisio prefer to get certification either a vendor-specific certification such as Microsoft or Cisco, or a neutral one such as CompTIA — is also important. Ideally, you should have both — they both work together to give you a great amount of information to become a network engineer. However, I would say that the certification is more relevant to this particular field.

Experience Is King:

The number one way to get and advance a career in networking and network engineering is through hands-on experience. Nothing beats this. Experience working with networks of all types can be useful. On-the-job experience is invaluable, but it can be hard to get experience without a job, and the job you need experience for.

You may also have experience working on a home-based network. This is still better than nothing — it shows you know the basics of setting up and managing a small network.

Look For Entry Level,“ No Experience Necessary ” Jobs:

The way to break this chicken and egg type cycle of experience and job, and the answer to how to become a network engineer, is to find a job that you don’t need experience for. This will be some kind of entry-level job in the field of networking or network engineering. Look around your favorite job sites for network-related jobs that don’t need experience — they should specify that in the job description. They will most likely be lower-paying than other jobs in the field, but that’s OK.

You’re only really looking for them to get the experience — the money will come later down the track. They might be in places such as schools or universities which are both great places to start a networking career.

Get A Certification In Networking:

Another great tip on how to become a network engineer is to complete a certification in the field. Several companies are Cisco, Microsoft, and CompTIA. Cisco CCNA is a well-known, entry-level certification that can be taken with minimal on-the-job experience. Microsoft also offers MCITP of MCTS which has several branches for networking, and CompTIA network+ certification is a vendor-neutral certification for the networking industry.

Certification will give you some great knowledge in the field of network engineering, and will give you a boost when going for jobs — but employers usually prefer experience over certifications. If you don’t have experience, the certifications are a great way to start.

Work On Soft Skills:

Many professionals like Cody Deluisio prefer to work on soft skills which impact greatly work. These skills will help you in any role you come across and will help you stand out from the crowd of other people in the industry. Communication skills, negotiating skills, problem-solving, professionalism, time management, and other soft skills will help you in interviews, on the job, and eventually getting promotions!

Hope after reading this you will be able to figure your strong points which will help you become an expert in this field. Along with you should work on key areas where your skills are lacking to avoid errors and work and to ensure quality work in this industry. If you will able to do this simultaneously then no one can stop you from becoming professionals in network engineering.