I need an Advice..What to do????

Oh man! Ad-blocking software has been detected! :'(

This website is run by the community, for the community... and it needs advertisements in order to keep running. Blocking our ads means your killing our stats!
Please disable your ad-block, or become a premium member to hide all advertisements and this notice.

Hi Guys,

I am currently looking for a job and i would like to share my experience...
I love cisco and the networking in general....
The first time i went for the ccna was in 2004....and i failed ...i got my Pc stuck and lost 12 minutes....
after few weeks cisco changed the exam and because i was working (i didn’t have much free time to study so i decided to get certified a bit later....)....

6 years later...

I fell in love with cisco more then before and i went for ccna and ccna voice...
Now I am studying for ccnp route as i cant find a job and i don’t want to sit down and do nothing..
During these years i have worked for companies as support network engineer/ It technician (do everything IT guy) for small-medium companies...when i moved in London about 3 years ago i covered an IT position with skills in Graphic design...as they where also looking for a Do everything guy........... again...

Now.... I am passionate, hardworking and i know my stuff.... i love this world and why I cant find a job in London related to cisco ???

Guys its about 5 months i am looking for a job (and studying) and now I start to be quite broke...risking to go back home..and lose my dream to become a Network engineer in London.

What can i do guys??

Please help me, i am sure some of you experienced the same.

Thanks

 

Oh man! Ad-blocking software has been detected! :'(

This website is run by the community, for the community... and it needs advertisements in order to keep running. Blocking our ads means your killing our stats!
Please disable your ad-block, or become a premium member to hide all advertisements and this notice.

Hi
I’m no expert, but surly trying to find a job just related to Cisco in this climate is narrowing your chances some what? From what you say you are an all rounder, so why not back it up with a couple of certs, Microsoft or Comptia to make you more adaptable for other posts that might involve Cisco work but also include customer facing roles in regards to Microsoft applications.
I would love to just work on Cisco products everyday but I have to be an all rounder and take the good with the bad.

Good luck

 

If you have no experience of working with cisco kit then the ccna and any other cisco certs wont help you. There are certs for people wanting to get into IT and certs for people who have experience the CCNA is the latter.

We have had people on here before with no experience and have the ccna nd MCSE and they have had to take the certs of their CVs to get a job because no network manager is going to hire you with no experience regardless of your certs or qualifications without experience.

You look like you are going down the route I did, applying for jobs beyond your experience level and that will take along time for you to get into IT if you carry on.

I did that for 5 years and got no where I took a 3 year break because I was so pissed of with it all, then I got my A+ and decided to aim lower and I got a job. You should do that.

 

GBL hit it on the head, you're going for positions that you're not experienced to go for, having the CCNA and going for the CCNP don't make you a Network Engineer.

I would suggest that going down the 2nd line engineer role and getting exposure to a dedicated networking team would be a better idea, unfortunately that means working for a large bank or international company that do have teams dedicated to security or networking or firewalling etc, working for small to medium companies where you're the 'Go To Guy' simply won't give you the experience or exposure that you want or need.

I would probably also suggest not getting the CCNP Route exam yet because of the lack of experience.

 

Perhaps it would be a worthwhile investment actually reading the post in its entirety. He already has IT experience. He already has been working in the IT industry.

However, it doesnt sound like he has Cisco experience, which is the job he is trying to get into. So your point about removing the certs is a good one.

 

Thanks guys for your replies i really appreciate that.

With my post i was expressing the desire to work with cisco or more with cisco.
I have been in the It industry for no so short time and dealt with all kind of issues a company of 50-100 user may have. Sales/Hardware/software/networking and a bit of programming, and believe me when you are the only one in the IT department you work a lot and acquire skills in every aspect of the IT infrastructure.

I do have experience with cisco but more in a lan environment then Wan as the companies i worked for didn’t have other branches or offices so i worked more with switches.

To pass the ccna you really need to know well your stuff and ccna voice is not easy as well.
I decided to go for ccna and ccna voice to add value to my work experience in this competitive market.
Now i went for ccnp route because i really like it and studying is a pleasure for me while i find job.

I work very hard every day on my books and gns and i even apply for it junior jobs 18k -24k (which is less then my previous salary) just to say that i am not picky but its not enough.
I left my previous job to do this and now i am stuck.
Regarding the comptiA thanks for your advice but i have other generic qualifications similar to that so i dont think it will make the difference.

Hope guys you understand me and the way i feel.

Said that if you were in my place what would you do?

Thanks guys for your help

 

I have another view to the advice saying having a CCNA without commercial experience is going to do you more harm than good. As long as you studied right and learnt the material correctly and understand it then it should pay off. Sometimes in life you can't get hands on experience in a subject area which is obviously the preferred way so the next best thing is labs/home study/courses etc. I would say though that having CCNP without experience would possibly look strange to employers on your CV so I would possibly draw the line at having the CCNA.

 

You have a huge advantage that a lot of people wanting to break into IT don't have which is experience. I would concentrate on looking for a short term contracting role in networks/VOIP and take it from there.

Unfortunately, even with experience and certs the state of the economy at present makes it even harder to land any type of job. I say join a site like LinkedIn and keep applying for roles you're experienced and interested in and soon or later you'd achieve your dreams.

Best wishes and keep on working at it even regardless and you'd be surprise when you look back and just smile. IT as a career field is forever changing and getting a role is becoming even more tasking. Hold on and be positive.

 

Thanks Onoski

God bless you!