February 21, 2008, 7:35 PM — I get a lot of different career questions from CCIEs all over the world. Here
are a few I want to share.
"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?"
