Plastering to I.T

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Hi all,

I've recently switched trades from plastering to I.T ! I've been data cabling for the last 5 months now and I've been cable pulling , terminating cat 5 putting up wi-fi and containment it's ok but have been quite interested in the switching and networking side of things . Just wondered if there's anyone on here that can give me some advice on courses or companys that take you on and teach you networking. The company that I'm with don't seem interested in putting us on these types of courses they would rather pay ££££ loads for another company to do it.

 

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Got to start somewhere, it's actually a good place to start for networking in particular tbh with cabling it's good experience to have.

If there was a commonly known company that takes you on to teach you network stuff they'd be vastly oversubscribed for every vacancy ;). The trick is to get yourself the experience and ideally a cert to back it up, for entry level networking you'd be looking at Network+, CCENT, CCNA as the ideal route cert wise and try and search for an entry level role.

 

Nice one I'm going to try and see if my work are up for sticking me on one of these courses. Do you need a degree in computer science to be a network engineer or can any old cable monkey learn it

 

Anyone can do it with the willingness to learn and the opportunity to practice. Although I would say that about 90% of the jobs in the world! I think very few really need something special, the rest can be taught. It's all repetition eventually, it's just a case of remembering / making notes when you experience situations and understanding what may have caused it, so you can mitigate it in the future.

Work hard and be dedicated and you will be absolutely fine! I have no degree, I never even went to college and i've just moved into Networks and I am dealing with some switching and routing, all be it lower level stuff at the moment whilst I build experience, but it is definitely do-able.

 

Nice one thanks for your comment, which networking course did you choose?

 

I've been studying the CCNA, I did a lot of reading and stuff on the N+ prior to that though. I just wanted to make sure that I had a reasonable all round knowledge etc.

I am planning on sitting the CCNA exam hopefully in the next 3-4 months, pending funds etc. Then will be looking at moving on to the CCNP, along with a few specialised courses on things such as F5's, Bluecoat Proxies etc, stuff I use at work and want to know better etc.

There are LOADS of resources out on the net though for CCNA and N+, there are lots of free videos on YouTube etc and Professor messer does some good N+ stuff.

Joe (Cisco lab rat) on here does training for Commsupport and has very kindly run a few free sessions on vlans and intro to Networks etc, so keep your eyes open for them, and he has made a few recordings available too of such sessions.

If you run into anything you don't quite understand then there are some very good Netowrk techies on here that are always happy to help.

 

Thanks coupe that's been really helpful.

 

Take a look at the cisco CCENT or N+ to start. You can find all the details on the cisco website about the certification paths you can take.
You can by a the official exam book on the net for about 20 quid. Basically it's possible to go the self-study route: get the book, learn the material, look on the web for tons of extra information, get some practise on a netsim like packet tracer, do the practise questions on the CD and book/take the exam.

Do a search for this book: CCENT/CCNA ICND1 640-822 Official Cert Guide by Wendell Odom (Hardcover - 3 Nov 2011)
I know on amazon you can have a look inside the book. That way it will give you an idea about the sort of areas in networking it covers
CCENT is quite difficult if you are new to IT, but give yourself some time, keep the motivation going and I'm sure you can get it.

Also take a look at the N+ exam from comptia. I got the Mike Meyers N+ all-in-one book a long while ago and it's a great introduction to Networking.

I know how it feels to be in your position of changing from one type of job to another, but set yourself the challenge and I'm sure you'll do it. I hope that gives you some ideas.

 

Thanks demarrer really helpful, to be honest I can't believe how quick everyone has responded to my post with very positive advice thanks all.
Great site.

 

Welcome to CF, this is how we roll

Personally I would start with the N+ as that is a good all round course and then work up to the CCNA. As said on here many a time that the CCNA isn't a foundation cert. Potential employers would expect you to have the relevant experience and skill set to actually utilise it in the work place.

 

I agree that CCNA is one of the more advanced certificates. But, if you can prove what you know when questioned, then that's o.k.

 

Hi Monkey Cable,

Congrats, you have cleared the first hurdle in IT, ie getting your foot in the door. The rest could be history for you, provided you are determined. Try banging up some more experience, cos most employers or agencies first asks for experience before the qualification.

So how did you transition from being a plasterer into IT, I'm fascinated and inspired. Care to share the details with us?