CCIE salaries, certification needs, H-1 visas

"How does someone start a career as a network engineer? What entry level jobs are appropriate?"

I am certain the opportunities for entry- level Cisco engineers are similar in most countries. Either you gain exposure by working with the engineers at your current environment or you relocate to a company that has a call center where you support network products by phone and remote access. Many telephone carriers have network operations centers or "NOCs" where first and second-level support is provided by a team of engineers relying mostly on an online database for initial support testing. These environments are usually a hot bed of activity where all level of support engineers interact and mentoring is encouraged. If no positions are available in an organization like this then look for places with a large enterprise looking for entry-level PC/server support. Given no other option, pester your current management about breaking into the IT department.

An engineer from Atlanta, Georgia asks whether a CCIE certification will get him a better paying job? He is a well-established resource within his organization with 15 years of network support experience (including five years of IP telephony integration experience), and wants to increase his compensation.

This is a loaded question because not all companies need Cisco-certified engineers to make ends meet. While many organizations do realize the value of the individual they might not support their goals to achieve CCIE status. If the current enterprise does not reward you in a satisfying way, a change may be necessary. Experience is highly regarded and if you add a CCIE certification, the market is wide open. Cisco Gold Partners are scouring the land in search of IPT resources and are on the phone with me daily asking for help. CCIE certified engineers help ensure a Gold partner status with Cisco. With solid experience and five years of IPT integration, certification may not be needed to land a very tidy compensation package with a Gold Partner. They might encourage it and reward for it but the CCIE may not be required.

There's a study group in Canada whose members are determined to pass their second CCIE certification. The group pooled their funds to build a lab to prepare for the test. They also earn money by performing client server and LAN support with a light amount of Cisco routing and switching mixed in. Here's a question from one member: "I just passed my CCIE lab and most of the study group and I have Service Provider certification. We have decided to stick together and build out our lab to pursue second CCIE certifications. What certification is in highest demand -- storage, security or voice?"

This group is a gold mine for your average recruiter. The big money is for those with security certifications, but only when that person is employed by a boutique offering high-level security assessment and network hardening strategies. The competition for those roles is higher than for Cisco IPCC positions for which there is high demand and not enough bodies. It seems like every Gold Partner worth their salt is booking VoIP implementations and upgrades a month or two out. The search for IPT engineers and CCIE Voice certified professionals are in short supply. My advice for the group was to pursue voice as their next target. As for CCIE Storage professionals, there are very few of these professionals out there. You would think that the low supply would equal high demand, but it doesn't. I have several of them in my queue, but I have not been successful in locating companies in need of that particular certification.

"During a recent interview, the interviewer asked me about salary history. I had agreed upon one salary with the recruiter, but the interviewer was trying to get me to lower my salary target. How should I handle this kind of situation?"

I have heard this story many times. Most recently, I was talking with a CCIE in London who was represented by a recruiting agency. The recruiter told the CCIE that he would be getting an offer with a nice base salary. However, when the candidate CCIE interviewed with the organization, the manager indicated that if the CCIE wanted to join them he must be ready to take a lower base than advertised. The CCIE politely thanked the manager for his time and told him the recruiter would be back in touch. This was the perfect response. Refrain from a discussion about wages and defer to your recruiter. Continue with any other aspects of the interview and leave on a good note when finished. This is not your recruiter's fault normally, but I recommend finding another advocate for your job search.

"Do all companies give bonuses for acquiring a CCIE certification?"

While many Cisco Partners reward the CCIE with a bonus or an increase in salary or both, not all companies do.

"I am a CCIE, and I want to work and live in the United States. I am having trouble finding an employer that will sponsor me. How can I find sponsorship to work in the U.S.?"

The United States has a system with a fixed number of H-1 visas made available each year. The system, as I understand, it is similar to a lottery and each year the limit is reached more quickly. In 2007, we awarded the entire lot in a few weeks. Unfortunately, going direct to the U.S. creates a market for companies that are able to wait for resources for a year or more as people queue up for approval. Most companies that are hiring directly need resources sooner than this system will support. So CCIEs like others are forced to wait a prohibitive amount of time. I have advised looking into Canadian citizenship which seems to be a lot more expedient. I am working with several CCIEs on a three-year plan which involves obtaining a Canadian work visa, then Canadian Citizenship and finally a TN-1 visa to work in the U.S. For details on the visas check country-specific immigration laws on-line.