@@tyreestrawter3082 you got it! Just stick with it! All I ever got was an associates then I just got my foot in the door. Since then it’s been 10 years. Havnt regretted any of it
Thanks, brother. I was just laid off and trust me I'm working on my ccna and security + I got a young one and I really have to change my life ... I know will rake me good 6 months before landing my entry level bit I will be there.
@@burhankalu2682 CCNA and Net + are the 2 certs I started with. They will most definitely help you land a position. The higher up you go with Cisco certs, the salary ranges really start to open up.
Lol this is my life right now ditto. Been working on networking for over 15 years...worked for a few big companies. Now a senior network admin at an engineering firm. Been WFH for about 5 years straight and I totally get your comment about cabin fever! Plus I also got an 8 year old and a 10 year old.
@@PhelpsLife I've held a bunch of CCNAs (Wireless, Sec, R&S) and a couple of specialist certs. Currently working toward my CCIE. It's been a life long dream to one day get my number. Life is busy as ever but I'm not giving up yet haha. I've been Sr. for about 5 years now
@@user-un6pq7qr1y that’s incredible. Very nice work 💪🏼. Ever get the CCNP? Or shooting straight to CCIE (since they don’t require CCNP as a prerequisite anymore)? What does the study routine look like?
@@PhelpsLife I never got around to getting one of the CCNP. Most of my Cisco learning journey has sort of been driven by the need to learn a new technology so I could use it at work. That's how I got the Wireless and Security. I needed to deploy something new so I decided to first learn it and the certification sort of came as the by product. Right now I find it hard to balance family life with work life and studying. But when I can I try to study from 7 pm till about 11.
I had a prelim interview for a noc role with verizon and the 1 nonnegotiable was hybrid in TX 😢 For a while I regretted not moving for the job but I got lucky and ended up in a DC NOC doing a lot of the same things, we basically serve as an isp noc and I feel the same way about the immense amount of info learned. Bgp ospf firewalls f5 learning how to talk to zayo, its been awesome
I’m currently studying for the CCNA and enjoy watching these type of videos from people who are actually doing the job. Hopefully by the beginning of next year I’ll get my CCNA. I’m more so trying to get a network firewall engineer or analyst role since I’m learning about firewalls such as the Palo Alto devices and etc.
Hey man pretty cool to hear your background and what you are currently doing as a Network eng. deffinitely helps paint a better picture for us out here trying to get started in the Field. Im 35 and Im just beginning my Networking Journey trying to get my CCNA here in a few months. I appreciate the time you took to put this video up and you should keep at it and upload more so that we out here can get more real life insight of what it is like working in the networking field. Any real world scenarios, tools , advice anything that could help us aspiring network admins engineers ,etc ,would be sweet. Awesome , THANKS!
Yeah this also sounds exactly like what I want to be doing. I'm currently in college studying for an associates in IT and I've always wanted to be a network admin/engineer. I'm a little older (33), probably closer to your age to be honest. I've always been a computer nerd and I've been doing computer stuff since I was little but I never had any formal education or training, just doing hobby and self-taught stuff. I am planning to get the CCNA by the end of the year, and I just recently got my CCST: Networking for a start. I have a year left until I get my associates, and hopefully with that and the CCNA cert, I'll be able to get something entry level. Networking is definitely the most interesting thing to me in the vast space of IT.
@@NickD24 awesome backstory. And I’m 33 as well. Funny story, what got me into networking was plugging the original Xbox up at my dad’s many years ago and seeing the network settings screen.. subnet mask.. default gateway… DNS… I had to know what that stuff meant. I was fascinated with high speed internet as it was new at the time. Learning how subnetting worked and the OSI model, routing protocols… switching… it’s all fun stuff to learn. Very rewarding career path, and it’s only growing exponentially. Some of the Cisco stuff can be a bit of a grind, but earning that cert is worth it. Stick with it and good luck 💪🏼
@@leedovey8919 thats a good way to look at it. Yea and I could have been more.. secure on showing my screens too but tbh, I just wanted to be real. Most people give a vague overview of what they do. The goal was to show what it’s actually like day to day. So I appreciate the feedback!
@@DataBunny thanks man! I’m actually subbed to your channel and follow you on LinkedIn as well. You are constantly on the grind with content and growing the knowledge. Big inspiration and thanks for the comment. Keep up the good work! I’ll drop a new vid soon!
I have some questions for the Network Engineer profession in today’s modern world. Any of these questions that can be answered is most appreciated. Do you work with colors? I am Protan (red/green) colorblind. Do you work with and have to be good at high level math? Does your work involve coding and do you recommend knowing it the way automation is going? I’m not skilled at high level math, so this concerned me. I also tried an HTML/CSS coding course during my associates degree in college and it was very confusing to me and hard to understand. I haven’t done any other programming languages. This also concerns me if coding is used in this profession. I don’t know if a bachelors from a good accredited school would be a good help or not. Do you recommend to get a bachelors degree or stick with certifications and gaining experience? What if you don’t have the time and/or money to be in school? Will you be able to stand out from competition with those who hold bachelors degrees or higher? Is this profession doable for someone who suffers back pain? Does your company value skills or education more? Do you believe this profession will be replaced by AI?
Nice home office desk! I appreciate your content and how you get straight to the point. I’m currently working in customer service across different industries (Gaming, Finance, EV Mobility) and am 26 years old. I'm thinking about moving forward and transitioning into a more technical role. Do you think certifications like CompTIA A+ and Network+ are worth pursuing, or would it be better to go directly for the CCNA? My goal is to start in IT Support and eventually move into Networking. Best regards,
@@ObywatellSwiata honestly starting with the Net+ would be your best bet, then from there go CCNA. A+ is better for hardware knowledge of you wanted to be a systems engineer (desktop support to start) position. Net+ will get your foot in the door for entry level network engineer spots or sometimes called Jr Network engineer.
@@alexanderfisher8241 honestly you will want to get a number of certs in the beginning. But in my opinion experience tends to outweigh certifications. And even if they expire… it’s still good on the resume stating you have had a certain cert before.
@@Astro-lh5odI would definitely shoot for CCNP first as it would be a huge milestone for me. But the ENCOR book is a pre-requisite for CCNP and CCIE as well. So it could be a possibility in the future. I appreciate the kind words!
Anyone else have a career change at 32? i have no IT experience or Networking experience, but I am studying my CCNA with Jeremy and Neil on udemy. Any tips , advice for a 32 old lady to start in a whole new career? Coming from healthcare backgroud lol
@@gerisati9951 I would recommend getting your Comp TIA Net + certification to start. That is going to help you at a foundational level with understanding the basics of networking. CCNA is going to be a bit tougher and packed with a ton of info if you are just starting. But as long as you can grasp the concepts, CCNA cert is the best one you can get to solidify a chance at a decent starting position. Best of luck!
Hey man, as someone who works in a IT helpdesk in a big school district dealing with various it related problems such as hardware and simple software fixes, how hard would it be to study and go for Ccna? I would really like to go for network engineering but I feel like it would be too hard for me lol, but I am not too sure. I have some familiarity with networking etc. but what would your suggestion be for someone like my self who’s currently working 33 years old but wants a better path.
@@thespartanslayer1 I’d start with getting your Comp TIA Net+ certification. That would help you with the fundamentals and it’s a great cert to have. Transition from there to CCNA. I don’t think the topics on either exam would be too much to comprehend
I'm currently NOC Engineer right now and I want to transition to NetEng position. Having an experience of 1 year with a CCNA certification. Is it enough for the transition already?
@@talyodiaz256 you got the CCNA? I’d say yes that’s definitely enough to get into a network engineering position. Especially being that you are a NOC engineer currently.
Hi Matt, I am network engineer from Hong Kong.
So happy to see more network engineer to sharing on youtube!!
This is where i want to be. I know it will take a couple years. I’m still in college
@@tyreestrawter3082 you got it! Just stick with it! All I ever got was an associates then I just got my foot in the door. Since then it’s been 10 years. Havnt regretted any of it
Thanks, brother. I was just laid off and trust me I'm working on my ccna and security + I got a young one and I really have to change my life ... I know will rake me good 6 months before landing my entry level bit I will be there.
@@burhankalu2682 CCNA and Net + are the 2 certs I started with. They will most definitely help you land a position. The higher up you go with Cisco certs, the salary ranges really start to open up.
Lol this is my life right now ditto. Been working on networking for over 15 years...worked for a few big companies. Now a senior network admin at an engineering firm. Been WFH for about 5 years straight and I totally get your comment about cabin fever! Plus I also got an 8 year old and a 10 year old.
@@user-un6pq7qr1y haha that’s awesome man thanks for sharing. Did you get any certs along your journey? How long have you had the senior title?
@@PhelpsLife I've held a bunch of CCNAs (Wireless, Sec, R&S) and a couple of specialist certs. Currently working toward my CCIE. It's been a life long dream to one day get my number. Life is busy as ever but I'm not giving up yet haha. I've been Sr. for about 5 years now
@@user-un6pq7qr1y that’s incredible. Very nice work 💪🏼. Ever get the CCNP? Or shooting straight to CCIE (since they don’t require CCNP as a prerequisite anymore)? What does the study routine look like?
@@PhelpsLife I never got around to getting one of the CCNP. Most of my Cisco learning journey has sort of been driven by the need to learn a new technology so I could use it at work. That's how I got the Wireless and Security. I needed to deploy something new so I decided to first learn it and the certification sort of came as the by product.
Right now I find it hard to balance family life with work life and studying. But when I can I try to study from 7 pm till about 11.
I had a prelim interview for a noc role with verizon and the 1 nonnegotiable was hybrid in TX 😢 For a while I regretted not moving for the job but I got lucky and ended up in a DC NOC doing a lot of the same things, we basically serve as an isp noc and I feel the same way about the immense amount of info learned. Bgp ospf firewalls f5 learning how to talk to zayo, its been awesome
I’m currently studying for the CCNA and enjoy watching these type of videos from people who are actually doing the job. Hopefully by the beginning of next year I’ll get my CCNA. I’m more so trying to get a network firewall engineer or analyst role since I’m learning about firewalls such as the Palo Alto devices and etc.
Hey man pretty cool to hear your background and what you are currently doing as a Network eng. deffinitely helps paint a better picture for us out here trying to get started in the Field. Im 35 and Im just beginning my Networking Journey trying to get my CCNA here in a few months. I appreciate the time you took to put this video up and you should keep at it and upload more so that we out here can get more real life insight of what it is like working in the networking field. Any real world scenarios, tools , advice anything that could help us aspiring network admins engineers ,etc ,would be sweet. Awesome , THANKS!
Yeah this also sounds exactly like what I want to be doing. I'm currently in college studying for an associates in IT and I've always wanted to be a network admin/engineer. I'm a little older (33), probably closer to your age to be honest. I've always been a computer nerd and I've been doing computer stuff since I was little but I never had any formal education or training, just doing hobby and self-taught stuff. I am planning to get the CCNA by the end of the year, and I just recently got my CCST: Networking for a start. I have a year left until I get my associates, and hopefully with that and the CCNA cert, I'll be able to get something entry level. Networking is definitely the most interesting thing to me in the vast space of IT.
@@NickD24 awesome backstory. And I’m 33 as well. Funny story, what got me into networking was plugging the original Xbox up at my dad’s many years ago and seeing the network settings screen.. subnet mask.. default gateway… DNS… I had to know what that stuff meant. I was fascinated with high speed internet as it was new at the time. Learning how subnetting worked and the OSI model, routing protocols… switching… it’s all fun stuff to learn. Very rewarding career path, and it’s only growing exponentially. Some of the Cisco stuff can be a bit of a grind, but earning that cert is worth it. Stick with it and good luck 💪🏼
Cool video Matt 👌👌
@@leedovey8919 thanks, I feel I could have done alot better (especially the beginning 😂) but it was a spur of the moment thing/idea.
@@PhelpsLifeit comes across as more real to life and less scripted - I prefer those type of Videos 🙂
@@leedovey8919 thats a good way to look at it. Yea and I could have been more.. secure on showing my screens too but tbh, I just wanted to be real. Most people give a vague overview of what they do. The goal was to show what it’s actually like day to day. So I appreciate the feedback!
@@PhelpsLife looking forward to the next one 🙌🏼
Super Dope!!!
@@DataBunny thanks man! I’m actually subbed to your channel and follow you on LinkedIn as well. You are constantly on the grind with content and growing the knowledge. Big inspiration and thanks for the comment. Keep up the good work! I’ll drop a new vid soon!
@@PhelpsLife man!! That’s crazy! I appreciate that fam! Much love!
I have some questions for the Network Engineer profession in today’s modern world. Any of these questions that can be answered is most appreciated.
Do you work with colors? I am Protan (red/green) colorblind.
Do you work with and have to be good at high level math?
Does your work involve coding and do you recommend knowing it the way automation is going? I’m not skilled at high level math, so this concerned me. I also tried an HTML/CSS coding course during my associates degree in college and it was very confusing to me and hard to understand. I haven’t done any other programming languages. This also concerns me if coding is used in this profession. I don’t know if a bachelors from a good accredited school would be a good help or not.
Do you recommend to get a bachelors degree or stick with certifications and gaining experience? What if you don’t have the time and/or money to be in school? Will you be able to stand out from competition with those who hold bachelors degrees or higher?
Is this profession doable for someone who suffers back pain?
Does your company value skills or education more?
Do you believe this profession will be replaced by AI?
Nice home office desk! I appreciate your content and how you get straight to the point.
I’m currently working in customer service across different industries (Gaming, Finance, EV Mobility) and am 26 years old. I'm thinking about moving forward and transitioning into a more technical role.
Do you think certifications like CompTIA A+ and Network+ are worth pursuing, or would it be better to go directly for the CCNA? My goal is to start in IT Support and eventually move into Networking.
Best regards,
@@ObywatellSwiata honestly starting with the Net+ would be your best bet, then from there go CCNA. A+ is better for hardware knowledge of you wanted to be a systems engineer (desktop support to start) position. Net+ will get your foot in the door for entry level network engineer spots or sometimes called Jr Network engineer.
@PhelpsLife many thanks for your response! How often do you have situations/cases in your job that are relatively stressful? Do you handle it?
Sounds like you had a good teacher in Billy "Dos" Byrd, lol. I hope you're doing well, man.
@@TrentonBerryhill 🤣🤣. He knew everything there was to know about “windows explorer 9”. I’m good man! How is your journey going?
@PhelpsLife oh you know, just living life.
Is it difficult to stay up to date with tech outside of work? And do you need to constantly get new certs? Thank you so much for this video!
@@alexanderfisher8241 honestly you will want to get a number of certs in the beginning. But in my opinion experience tends to outweigh certifications. And even if they expire… it’s still good on the resume stating you have had a certain cert before.
I feel like with your knowledge you can go for CCIE instead of CCNP
@@Astro-lh5odI would definitely shoot for CCNP first as it would be a huge milestone for me. But the ENCOR book is a pre-requisite for CCNP and CCIE as well. So it could be a possibility in the future. I appreciate the kind words!
Anyone else have a career change at 32? i have no IT experience or Networking experience, but I am studying my CCNA with Jeremy and Neil on udemy. Any tips , advice for a 32 old lady to start in a whole new career? Coming from healthcare backgroud lol
@@gerisati9951 I would recommend getting your Comp TIA Net + certification to start. That is going to help you at a foundational level with understanding the basics of networking. CCNA is going to be a bit tougher and packed with a ton of info if you are just starting. But as long as you can grasp the concepts, CCNA cert is the best one you can get to solidify a chance at a decent starting position. Best of luck!
@@PhelpsLife thank you ❤️ pray for me 😊 when i pass, ill send you a pic! 🤣
Hey man, as someone who works in a IT helpdesk in a big school district dealing with various it related problems such as hardware and simple software fixes, how hard would it be to study and go for Ccna? I would really like to go for network engineering but I feel like it would be too hard for me lol, but I am not too sure. I have some familiarity with networking etc. but what would your suggestion be for someone like my self who’s currently working 33 years old but wants a better path.
@@thespartanslayer1 I’d start with getting your Comp TIA Net+ certification. That would help you with the fundamentals and it’s a great cert to have. Transition from there to CCNA. I don’t think the topics on either exam would be too much to comprehend
I'm currently NOC Engineer right now and I want to transition to NetEng position. Having an experience of 1 year with a CCNA certification. Is it enough for the transition already?
@@talyodiaz256 you got the CCNA? I’d say yes that’s definitely enough to get into a network engineering position. Especially being that you are a NOC engineer currently.
did you need a clearance for that job ?? ts or just regular secret ?
@@mattvee7242no. This is an ISP, not government related or managed. So no secret clearance required
do you need to on call and work night shift？
@@seanx.l4422 not at this position. At my last one yes. On call once a month for a week. 120 mile range. With a work truck it wasn’t bad though.
@@PhelpsLife great and thanks for sharing！