News and Views from CCPrep.com

As you have probably read in my last several editorials, it is most people’s opinion that the Tech Recession and the Recession as a whole is over. However, many of you may still find yourselves without a job, or perhaps in a job that is below your skill-set. What do you need to do to find your way back to those glorious years of the late 90s?

The first thing you must realize is that the Network Engineering world is dramatically changing. Technology has improved despite the 3 year recession. Company infrastructures are becoming outdated and with the economy rebounding companies are looking to increase their productivity with increased information technology solutions. But not the old days of simply installing a network. Most companies already have a network; they are now looking for ways to get increased productivity out of them. To do this companies are looking to newer technologies such as Wireless, Voice over IP, and Security solutions.

Today’s Network Engineer must be up to date on these technologies to keep up with companies ever growing needs. If one were to visit Dice.com, a leading technology job site, they would find:

177 Job Listings for CCNAs
23 of which request Voice experience
15 of which request Wireless experience
95 of which requests some sort of Security experience

128 Job Listings for CCNPs
18 of which request Voice experience
8 of which request Wireless experience
73 of which requests some sort of Security experience

94 Job Listings for CCIEs
15 of which request Voice experience
14 of which request Wireless experience
57 of which requests some sort of Security experience

These numbers are significantly higher than we have seen in the past. More and more companies are looking for engineers with more than just Routing and Switching experience. What can you do to become more employable? Begin looking into one of these three areas.

IP Telephony is perhaps the most exciting opportunity for young engineers simply because it can be the most cost cutting to medium to enterprise level companies. VoIP and Cisco’s Architecture for Voice Video and Integrated Data (AVVID) can save companies thousands to millions of dollars on long distance charges alone. These cost savings can further be exasperated when coupled with unified messaging to save both time and money. Currently a search of the Dice.com website for the keyword “Cisco voice” yields 82 entries. You can assume that each of these positions will be higher paying than a standard Routing and Switching engagement.

Security is perhaps the most popular of the new technologies to be in demand. With the recent viruses and computer attacks there has been an increased awareness within organizations to implement simple security devices such as Firewalls, Virtual Private Networks (VPNs), and Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS). A search on the Dice.com website for the keywords “Cisco security” yields 366 different positions.

The final and least popular new technology is Wireless. Wireless networks are becoming more and more popular due to their ease of use. Many hotels are now implementing wireless networks and organizations with many mobile users are also finding it very useful. The reason why Wireless isn’t in demand the same as say Voice or Security is because it is very easy to implement. Unless you are implementing a large solution, wireless installations are extremely simple and can easily be figured out by the network administrator. However, in enterprise networks, wireless implementations can be quite complex and require a high level of expertise. Most companies are not implementing these type of wireless networks. This is perhaps why a search on Dice.com for the keywords “Cisco wireless” yielded only 56 entries.

Getting back to the question at hand, “Now What?” you must continue your education and learn one, if not more than one, of these new technologies. Clearly it can be seen that companies are going to need engineers with skills in all of these areas. If you do not keep up in these areas, you job could be in jeopardy or you might not be employable as someone who does.

Lou Rossi Jr. can be reached at training@ccprep.com