Jobs that can be attained with a Cisco CCNP

[mammador]

Can one become a network admin with a CCNP?

 

[Chess]

Sure why not ? Most places that support DoD or govt want you to have your security +

 

[Jamsan]

A CCNP with no experience is usually a red flag to employers. They want someone who has real world experience to go along with that knowledge, and not have their equipment be the first time you're dealing with real equipment.

 

[drebo]

Location, Location, Location.

Here in Central California, there ain't shit for jobs in the networking field. Believe me, I've been looking.

 

[mcmilljb]

Location, Location, Location.

Here in Central California, there ain't shit for jobs in the networking field. Believe me, I've been looking.

Head to the east coast around Maryland. Some how I saw some postings over there a few months back, and it seemed they were hiring. However it more along the Service Provider side.

 

[drebo]

I'm on the SP side...however, I'm not moving to Maryland.

 

[Agamar]

I have never relied on the certs, but I have just finished up my CCNP, and thought it was a valuable learning experience. I also have my MCSE/MCITP, Sec+, and Net+. I have gotten all my certs in the last 5 years, since I now have a training budget. Before that, I had only taken an exam when they were offered for free, or a two-for-one deal.

I had at least two people in my CCNP class that really should not have even been there. One of them had real work experience, but only a few years, and apparently they were never allowed to deviate from certain tasks. Once we moved away from the few subjects they were familiar with, they really struggled with the rest (which was the majority of the course). I found that the instructor had to slow down and explain things to them many, many times.

So it is hard finding network jobs on the west coast eh? Is that because of the amount of IT folks still out there looking for positions, or is the industry downsizing?

 

[ScottMac]

There isn't any specific job that a CCNP (or nearly any cert) covers. It is dependent on the employer, their equipment, and existing staff.

In many cases, the training never covered the kind of networking that they do.

For larger organizations, a cert of one kind or another, including college degrees, is a filter used by HR. Smaller organizations tend to assume that the training covers everything anyone would ever need to know about networking.

Reality is that you'll almost certainly be using a mix of equipment (Cisco, non-Cisco), new stuff integrated with old stuff (hence, experience increases the chance that you've seen the old stuff, Cisco or not), and essentially a static setup where the most common change is changing a port and the most common troubleshooting is 'I can't get on the network" (check the cable under the desk).

The next most popular question is "How can I get the experience?" and that's the tough one. Many churches/temples, charitable organizations, private schools are looking for and appreciate free or cheap assistance. You needs references; money is nice, but you usually don't get the money without the experience and references attesting to your quality work and attention to detail.

Depending on the hiring situation in your area, it may be better to hire in at any position, then try to move into the hands-on networking end of the company. Lots of folks start out in a call center / support center, for example. It's not unusual for call / support centers to have a Lab at their disposal, giving you some hardware to play with in your "copious free time" (i.e., rare spare time).

Good Luck

 

[jlazzaro]

I'm on the SP side...however, I'm not moving to Maryland.

MD/DC/Northern VA area is booming, you're missing out

 

[Cooky]

MD/DC/Northern VA area is booming, you're missing out

I can attest to that.
Just do a quick search on Monster using keyword "cisco".
You'll get 15+ pages of result.

 

[wirednuts]

The next most popular question is "How can I get the experience?" and that's the tough one.

nah. once you have the cert all you have to do is write on your resume "2 years experience working at so and so company doing so and so administrating"

ive always fudged my resume a bit and got jobs that were definitely beyond my experience level. fuck it, once they hire you they dont want to just turn around and let you go right away, especially if you have a good personality and a willingness to learn what that specific job requires. just dont over hype yourself and play off your inexperience as good as you can. keep saying things like "well this is a little different then what i used to do but its basically the same"

 

[j03h4gLund]

nah. once you have the cert all you have to do is write on your resume "2 years experience working at so and so company doing so and so administrating"

ive always fudged my resume a bit and got jobs that were definitely beyond my experience level. fuck it, once they hire you they dont want to just turn around and let you go right away, especially if you have a good personality and a willingness to learn what that specific job requires. just dont over hype yourself and play off your inexperience as good as you can. keep saying things like "well this is a little different then what i used to do but its basically the same"

You are the reason shit gets fubar.

Start out in a call center, get some lower level experience under your belt. Understand what the companies direction is and build your career from the bottom up. Why skip the essentials?

I recently landed a job as a tier 1 technical support/sales rep for a local ISP with around 10,000 customers. I talk to our tier2/tier3 networking guys every day. My company is growing fast and is looking at doubling if not tripling their customer base in the next year or so. They will soon need more tier2/3 people. I asked my network administrator what a good certification was to advance my career and he told me to go for the CCNA. I know this thread is about the CCNP, but still. I've worked there 3 months.

Just dont fucking lie on your resume and you'll be fine.

 

[Cooky]

I know a guy who used to be a call center analyst.
After a few years he was hired to be a tier2 network support analyst.
He now has a stack of lab routers & switches on his desk, and also access to all kinds of Cisco gear we have on our production network (Cat 6K running MPLS, Nexus 7K/5K/2K, etc).
I witnessed it myself, and can tell you if you put in the time & hard work, it can, and will happen.

 

[ScottMac]

nah. once you have the cert all you have to do is write on your resume "2 years experience working at so and so company doing so and so administrating"

ive always fudged my resume a bit and got jobs that were definitely beyond my experience level. fuck it, once they hire you they dont want to just turn around and let you go right away, especially if you have a good personality and a willingness to learn what that specific job requires. just dont over hype yourself and play off your inexperience as good as you can. keep saying things like "well this is a little different then what i used to do but its basically the same"

If they check your references, it wouldn't pass muster.

The another aspect I failed to point out is the "technical interview" that, with rare exception, is part of the interview process. You will be asked questions that aren't in some testing study guide, given scenarios that require you to produce a solution based on "best practices" or sometimes situations where best practice won't work, you need to come up with a temporary solution that's Fugly but can carry the network until a real solution can be implemented. The key is that the candidate is usually well-challenged, and inexperienced candidates stand out like a turd in the punchbowl.

It's better to accurately represent yourself and keep the interviews within the realm of your knowledge and experience. If you show talent and the ability to think and grow, you'll probably get the job.