Getting experience unfortunately takes a while, and usually isn't immediately
rewarding financially. I was in a position similar to yours about 5 years ago.
What got me out of that was taking a grunt job in a helpdesk. No I didn't get to
do anything with routers other than call Sprint and let them know circuits were
down. Mostly I diagnosed server problems and talked users through printing
problems. It was even a pay cut from my previous crappy job. For six months
things sucked, but at the end I had a good start on my resume. I've changed jobs
a few times since then, each time moving a little higher on the food chain. It
can be done. Leverage your experience with PCs to get a helpdesk\entry level tech
position. Don't expect to be playing with routers or even seeing them for a
while. By all means keep practicing and taking tests on your own. Take advantage
of any training materials that are available through your employer, even stuff
that doesn't seem horribly pertinent. It will pay off if you keep at it. Take the
opportunity to learn every time you answer a user call. When you place a trouble
call with a carrier, make sure you find out what the problem was (even if you
don't completely understand the answer) and remember what symptoms you observed
so that when it happens again you can use that info to shorten the
troubleshooting time. Not a dream job, but it does get you in the door and a good
many positions like this should be available to to someone with your skills, even
without that hard-to-acquire previous industry experience.
Niall
SBC Datacomm
[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
> Let's talk about this for a minute or two, just to clear something that has
> been inside of me for a while, since i joined this group about a year ago I
> hear lots of you say
> " get experience", like it is somenthing you just go to the grocery store and
> buy it, if it was like that, i would gather as much money as i could, to buy
> the most i can.
> Take me for example, I have been parking cars for 7 years now at $ 7.50
> an hour,
> In 1997, because i wanted to improve my way of life, i started buying and
> studying books, first I got my A+ cert, Then my MCP, right now i only need 2
> electives to have the MCSE, then i got my Network+, then my CCNA, from the
> ccnp i passed the acrc and the cit, I bought all the cisco books for the
> ccnp, the ccda,ccdp,ccie, i even took the ccie written , of course i failed,
> but it is a good experience, and i think the acrc is a harder exam, but the
> ccie is a more broader exam.
> going back to the main topic, I started studying because nobody would
> hire me because i do not have neither the knowledge nor the experience that i
> needed, now I have, not all the knowledge but some, as far as the A+ goes i
> feel confident, i have asembled and sold over a few years maybe 100
> computers, as far as my troubleshooting skills i feel more than good, as far
> as the rest goes, i have a small network at home, not with routers, because i
> cannot afford them, i have 4 workstations and 2 servers, so i practice a lot.
> Since i joined this group i hear you people talking about getting
> experience, about paper Vs hands on, AT first nobody hires you because you do
> not have the knowledge or the experience, then somehow you manage to get some
> knowledge,
> but then again, this time nobody hires you because you do not have the
> experience, and you people talk about it , the so much appreciated experience
> , like it is so easy
> to get
> I have posted my resume all over, willing to start with anything, but
> whoever calls, the first question is, Where have you worked before?, how long
> have your worked in the industry?, as soon as I tell them my experience is
> with a small network i have at home, they think for a minute or two, thet
> said i call you back, but they never do.
> I have spent Ks of dollars, and i am convinced that it is not worth , to
> keep spending more in the sense of trying to get a better life, it is almost
> impossible; in the sense of getting knowledge is a good thing to do, but up
> to certain limits.
>
> ___________________________________
> UPDATED Posting Guidelines: http://www.groupstudy.com/list/guide.html
> FAQ, list archives, and subscription info: http://www.groupstudy.com
> Report misconduct and Nondisclosure violations to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
--
Some of my best information on tuning EIGRP came from colleagues,
both native and US military, in the former Yugoslavia. They pointed
out how to tune around error rates caused by gunfire hitting the
telephone lines.
- Howard Berkowitz on Groupstudy 3/13/2000
___________________________________
UPDATED Posting Guidelines: http://www.groupstudy.com/list/guide.html
FAQ, list archives, and subscription info: http://www.groupstudy.com
Report misconduct and Nondisclosure violations to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
