Hi all,
I am currently plugging away at my last semester at CSULA pursuing a degree in Industrial Technology (focusing on manufacturing engineering).
Long story short, one of the mandatory classes is Cisco Internetworking, the first of two courses designed to prepare an individual for the Cisco Certified Networking Entry Level (CCENT) certification exam. Although difficult (it was like learning a new language), I realized that knowing networking, routing, switching, and security is incredibly marketable, valuable, and lucrative. Hence, some students and I got together and petitioned to make the second part of the CCENT preparation class available; unfortunately, a few weeks in to the semester, it was dropped due to low enrollment (not many students were up for the challenge). Regardless, a classmate and I have chosen to continue to learn, with hopes of taking the CCENT post-graduation.
My questions are: what kinds of jobs are available for an individual with a BS in Industrial Technology and a CCENT? What sectors or companies should I be looking into? Will I need a CCNA to find gainful employment? If so, will a company be willing to cover the cost of further training?
For my entire college career, I had my hopes set on a possible career in aerospace manufacturing. I had a change of heart after hearing multiple individuals (across a handful of the larger aerospace companies on the West coast) making some rather frightening statements about their employers. I won't get into details, but at this point, I feel that pursuing a career in networking infrastructure is likely more safe, better-paying, and has more options for upward mobility.
Any insight, experience, or tips is more than welcome. I highly look forward to hearing what you all have to say.
Regards,
Donovan Casterline
Answers
Hi Sriram,
Thank you for your input. I'd be very grateful for your help in networking and possible opportunities for experience.
Hi Seth,
Thank you very much for your response. Networking/IT is an entirely new field to me, but one that I feel that I can carve out a career in. I appreciate that you took the time and effort to give me some valuable insight into your field.
I have some follow-up questions: do most individuals in networking start out as field technicians? Is a field technician an entry-level or minimum wage job? Would having a degree open up a wider swath of career options? If so, aside from junior management and technician, what are some other possible positions to look into?
By the time I graduate, I will have student loans to pay off, and I'd like to move out with my girlfriend, so I'd be looking for something lucrative (not 6 figures, but something that I can pay off some debts and find a decent place to live with). Will options like that be available to me?
Thank you again for taking the time to answer my questions. The only other person I have to ask questions like these to is my friend who is going through the same program as me, so we have limited experience.
Hi Donovan,
Seth has given you a very apt answer. I would embark on the course he outlined. Once you make progress in that and require internships or some practical exposure, I can connect you with some tech companies in Torrance and Santa Monica.
Donovan,
Cisco certification gives you a very broad and wide set of industries to look at. CCENT is really more focused on entry level technician activities around networking, so there aren't going to be a lot of jobs out there just looking for CCENT certification. Think of CCENT as showing your proficiency in a common language, the language of IP and Ethernet. The certification isn't going to set you apart or likely be the reason someone hires you. The best news is most other networking manufacturers use the same base language so what you have learned is very portable to other networking equipment manufactuirers.
That said, Cisco is still a dominant networking player and many companies have standardized on Cisco infrastructure. They are a dominant player across most enterprises. If you want to stay in the Network Infrastructure world, I would recommend looking at a lot of network services organizations or their contractors. They are a great place to get a start and build skills. These are the companies like AT&T, Verizon, CenturyLink, BT, Spectrum, Altice, etc. have both entry level management programs and also directly hire technicians to install networking gear on their customers' sites. Contracting companies like NCR, MasTec, AeroTek, and others hire technicians that are contracted out to the network service providers or companies that need extra help managing their networks.
I'd recommend even if you haven't taken part 2 of the course, try some of the online practice exams and see how you do. You may be able to get your CCENT with your initial training. Also, expand your knowledge of the networking equipment manufacturers beyond Cisco. There are many specializations you can look at and lots of other companies that specialize in different parts of enterprise networking like Aruba and Ruckus in campus networking, Arista, Juniper, Palo Alto in data center networking, and Nokia and Ericsson in 4g/5g mobility and WAN.
As an ACP AdvisorNet staff member, I assist in monitoring and building the ACP AdvisorNet community.
Hi Donovan,
Thank you for your question! Have you tried messaging one of our community Advisors directly? This way you’ll be able to receive advice from an expert in Industrial Technology. You can do this by visiting our community section: https://acp-advisornet.org/community/advisors. You’ll be able to search for Advisors by industry and location.
If you have any questions regarding this process, feel free to give me a call at 212-752-0700 or you can message me directly.
I hope you find this information helpful! Thank you for your service!
Best,
Yasmina
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