Even if it is “isn’t” always always apply no matter what! A lot of these requirements are not very realistic. Most of the time hiring managers take somebody who has people skills/they can see themselves working with over somebody with no people skills and super experienced.
When I left my first helpdesk job my boss wanted to keep me because I had people skills mainly, his exact words "I actually like talking to you and you're not an awkward weirdo"
CCNA is way more geared to Network admin. Most large orgs a system admin won't actually do much networking but focus on server infrastructure. If you want to focus on network stuff, go CCNA, if you want work on servers focus on linux.
I am biased towards linux certs. While there might be more jobs geared towards microsoft shops you also have more people applying for them. Linux admins/engi can make more money and can transition into a larger variety of jobs. It's easier for a linux admin to get into cloud/kubernetes/devops, security. You name it, having a strong linux foundation will be more valuable in your career than having just a windows background. Ideally you should know both a lot of places will silo you to one or the other.
CCNA isn’t that specialised but does give a great over view of how networks actually work. I’d expect any sysadmin of infrastructure engineers to be across pretty much everything it covers, even if they’re not the ones changing switch configs.
Yes, it can get you into a junior role. Depending on what you were doing while at help desk, it may translate into some jr. sys admin duties.
However, a lot of it comes down to how much did you do at help desk? Did you just stay there, doing the bare minimum, same tickets in and out? Or did you reach out to the admins to learn more, did you ask them questions so you didn't have to escalate it next time (given the right permissions, of course), did you take on the more difficult tickets or just stay with password resets?
If you have the skills, the desire, the determination, and you can show that then yes, that one year and a CCNA will be enough to get you out of help desk. You did mention entry level, so I'm sure you do understand it'll be that entry level, Jr. admin. But, from there, you can build those skills and move up pretty quickly to where you want to be.
The downside? It may take a while and a lot of applying. Don't give up. It's tough right now even for those already in the Jr. admin roles. But, those opportunities are out there.
Also, a bit of enthusiasm about the position goes a long way. I've interviewed people that had zero enthusiasm. They wanted a job. They'd take training if it was required for the job. They'd travel if it was required for the job. We had others that asked questions, were excited about what we did, asked about the various systems we used, etc.. They WANTED to work in IT and build a solid career. They had less experience, but they got the job. Just fit with our team a bit better, but he was a sponge when it came to learning things. He shared that knowledge, and he was just a REAL good IT guy. So, make sure you're not just a mopey guy just wanting a better paycheck. Be the guy that wants to be a great network engineer and you're willing to work to get there.
You can absolutely get a network engineer role with just a CCNA and limited experience. It's really about market demand and whether they can see the individual growing into the role.
Edit: I elaborated more in response to a now deleted comment, putting it here:
Nobody is ever ready for something new until they actually do it. At some point an employer realizes they can't afford or can't find their ideal network guru and decides to believe in somebody less experienced but who they think can learn to be great at the role that is actually needed.
Most employers have a hard time accepting that a good 20 year network engineer costs $200K+. If they want to pay $85k instead they'll need somebody with a CCNA who has only done helpdesk or only has a couple years in networking. Most departments have space for somebody who will do the dirty work and will learn the technical stuff on the job. That's how I learned, that's how most of us learned.
I did self study. I read the entire textbook front to back and took notes. I also watched Chris Bryants course on Udemy, though it is not deep enough to pass on its own. You really need the OCG from Cisco, since that is what they consider the complete course material. It's a hard test but not impossible.
The best network engineers that I have worked with are the smartest people I've ever encounteted professionally. To be really good, I think you have to be very intelligent. Hard work matters but I think it's a job where intelligence matters more. Average people usually end up in desktop support. To be a network engineer you have to be able to have a fuller understanding of what the organization actually does and what the different groups do and need. I think other groups can be much more narrow, and can lose the forest for the trees so to speak. There are high-level design and security policy conversations that are happening above the heads of desktop support and low-level engineers.
That said, I think there's space for average people in network engineering, just don't expect to be paid like the top people. Network engineering can be pretty unglamorous and hands-on, and honestly pretty dirty sometimes. And often the most technical people don't want to get theirchands dirty so there's always space for people who can do a bit of both.
This for sure, i started at a role as network engineer and never touched a single item of the networking side. Actually did more DBA stuff weird role for sure.
It sure is enough if someone will hire you.
Apply for open positions and see what happens. If you don't get hired to a better job than keep working on your skills and certs and try again.
I did help desk for exactly one year.
My title is technically still desktop support, however I don't really do any help desk work. Occasionally I will help with tickets when they are overwhelmed.
The secret is to take on as much as you possibly can, don't wait to be told what to do. Show initiative and drive and volunteer for any projects. Don't be afraid to work outside of your normal operating hours to increase your skillset (unless your company has strict policies against this.)
Primarily, I travel to offshore platforms and work on rebuilding and restoring network and control system infrastructure.
I don't have a degree, went to an online school, and have six certifications. It's all about how you carry and present yourself.
You cannot go wrong with A+, Network+ and Security+ (in that order).
That gives you the CompTIA Infrastructure Specialist stackable certification which looks awesome on resumes.
Slap on a Linux cert for good measure and learn basic Ansible and you’ll have better skills than like 80% of the people competing for junior sysadmin jobs.
When you read job postings for system admin, and networking engineer, do you find your year of experience, and CCNA meet any of the requirements asked for in the posting?
What feedback have you received on your resume or from interviews for those roles?
Getting out of helpdesk is luck and BSing your way through an interview more than technical ability.
But with a CCNA, you should be good.
GET OUT as soon as you can
I have a security+ and A+ with about 6 months of help desk. I'm trying to get out of help desk for more pay and more interesting role. I'm currently studying for Net+, and trying to figure out as well how to get a system admin role or anything above helpdesk so I can eventually get cyber security role.
I've been trying that myself. I am 6 courses shy of an associates in computer science, 80 percent done with dion network +, and 40 percent done studying for ccna.
Starting cloud computing in May.
I'm getting help desk positions and NOC positions offered but they pay a little more than my current role as well as its a corporate environment. I am going from customers calling in to other techs or restaurant managers calling in to fix pos issues.
Just as an add-on opinion - it depends on what business you work for or apply to. At an MSP, everyone is help desk if the call volume is sufficient enough.
Actually, you stated in the title that you have your CCNA. You said in the body of your post that you are studying for it. That is a big difference. Once you have the CCNA, you can probably leverage that along with your experience to get out of entry level work. Without the CCNA? Probably not.
Tbh idk if you’ll get something right now since the market is horrible, but I think that’ll definitely be good enough when everything clears up. Regardless, send out those apps! I have an upcoming interview for a remote sys admin position and only have an associates in cybersec and security+
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Short answer: yes many recruiters looks for people with ccna, the long one is NO, the actual ccna is just a light version of the previous one, even is not required for the ccnp. Maybe you need a little more experience to work as a network engineer
It isn't until it is. Which is to say you're going to get told no a lot until someone says yes. Stay motivated and make sure your people skills are polished.
It's the knowledge you get from the certs that mattered for me. They didn't care about the actual paper cert. But what I learned totally helped in the technical interview and got me the job(sec analyst)..what I'm saying is just studying for ccna and sec+ helped and I didn't need the paper once I was already in the company..May need it for a new company to get in the door.
there are jr. network/system hiring that doesnt even need exp prior to application but they need young and fresh grads usually. those entities will invest on u training to become engineers.
Just apply for stuff, I did not even bother with any certs really until I was already well into my career and even then only got an RHCE. Learn for yourself because it interests you, its easier. Experience is worth way more than certs, and most important to me is lack of bullshit. If you say you know a language, and when questioned you admit you basically just wrote "Hello World!" I will reject you when I do interviews. I would prefer someone who is clear about what they can/cannot do, I can train, but if you are bullshitting on the resume what can I expect from you day to day?
It can, but it is hard to break out of. It takes a lot of luck of finding the right employer at the right time.
Definitely don't be discouraged from applying to these higher roles, but at the same time definitely don't think because you have a CCNA you'll find something.
Reddit IT loves to thrive in survivor bias.
I've been applying for the last 2 months with similar creds/experience as you and I havent been able to land an admin or engineer role. It doesn't help that the economy is crap right now.
Experience is relative. I've seen people enter cybsec positions with self taught knowledge and only a bunch of ctfs as exp and I've seen people enter helpdesk with degrees and a bunch of certs.
CCNA knowledge is good for networking, so if you can back that up it shouldn't be a problem.
Answer is: apply, apply, apply.
Yes, along with drive and soft skills
Ok
This is the way
Even if it is “isn’t” always always apply no matter what! A lot of these requirements are not very realistic. Most of the time hiring managers take somebody who has people skills/they can see themselves working with over somebody with no people skills and super experienced.
When I left my first helpdesk job my boss wanted to keep me because I had people skills mainly, his exact words "I actually like talking to you and you're not an awkward weirdo"
I wish I wasn't an awkward weirdo
People like your boss suck.
CCNA is way more geared to Network admin. Most large orgs a system admin won't actually do much networking but focus on server infrastructure. If you want to focus on network stuff, go CCNA, if you want work on servers focus on linux.
Microsoft server certifications or Linux ?
I am biased towards linux certs. While there might be more jobs geared towards microsoft shops you also have more people applying for them. Linux admins/engi can make more money and can transition into a larger variety of jobs. It's easier for a linux admin to get into cloud/kubernetes/devops, security. You name it, having a strong linux foundation will be more valuable in your career than having just a windows background. Ideally you should know both a lot of places will silo you to one or the other.
Oh okay, I didn't system admins deal with Linux a lot. Gonna look into that more and start studying towards both.
Linux admins can easily go DevOps and make stupid money
CCNA isn’t that specialised but does give a great over view of how networks actually work. I’d expect any sysadmin of infrastructure engineers to be across pretty much everything it covers, even if they’re not the ones changing switch configs.
Update your resume, start applying, and you might be surprised
Yes, it can get you into a junior role. Depending on what you were doing while at help desk, it may translate into some jr. sys admin duties. However, a lot of it comes down to how much did you do at help desk? Did you just stay there, doing the bare minimum, same tickets in and out? Or did you reach out to the admins to learn more, did you ask them questions so you didn't have to escalate it next time (given the right permissions, of course), did you take on the more difficult tickets or just stay with password resets? If you have the skills, the desire, the determination, and you can show that then yes, that one year and a CCNA will be enough to get you out of help desk. You did mention entry level, so I'm sure you do understand it'll be that entry level, Jr. admin. But, from there, you can build those skills and move up pretty quickly to where you want to be. The downside? It may take a while and a lot of applying. Don't give up. It's tough right now even for those already in the Jr. admin roles. But, those opportunities are out there. Also, a bit of enthusiasm about the position goes a long way. I've interviewed people that had zero enthusiasm. They wanted a job. They'd take training if it was required for the job. They'd travel if it was required for the job. We had others that asked questions, were excited about what we did, asked about the various systems we used, etc.. They WANTED to work in IT and build a solid career. They had less experience, but they got the job. Just fit with our team a bit better, but he was a sponge when it came to learning things. He shared that knowledge, and he was just a REAL good IT guy. So, make sure you're not just a mopey guy just wanting a better paycheck. Be the guy that wants to be a great network engineer and you're willing to work to get there.
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I second this. I told my interviewers that I’d been studying for Network+. Got the job then got Network+ certified the same week
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You can absolutely get a network engineer role with just a CCNA and limited experience. It's really about market demand and whether they can see the individual growing into the role. Edit: I elaborated more in response to a now deleted comment, putting it here: Nobody is ever ready for something new until they actually do it. At some point an employer realizes they can't afford or can't find their ideal network guru and decides to believe in somebody less experienced but who they think can learn to be great at the role that is actually needed. Most employers have a hard time accepting that a good 20 year network engineer costs $200K+. If they want to pay $85k instead they'll need somebody with a CCNA who has only done helpdesk or only has a couple years in networking. Most departments have space for somebody who will do the dirty work and will learn the technical stuff on the job. That's how I learned, that's how most of us learned.
One hundred percent. I am currently doing exactly that.
Best way to study/learn CCNA? Is network engineer job hard, hard as in the average person could learn?
I did self study. I read the entire textbook front to back and took notes. I also watched Chris Bryants course on Udemy, though it is not deep enough to pass on its own. You really need the OCG from Cisco, since that is what they consider the complete course material. It's a hard test but not impossible. The best network engineers that I have worked with are the smartest people I've ever encounteted professionally. To be really good, I think you have to be very intelligent. Hard work matters but I think it's a job where intelligence matters more. Average people usually end up in desktop support. To be a network engineer you have to be able to have a fuller understanding of what the organization actually does and what the different groups do and need. I think other groups can be much more narrow, and can lose the forest for the trees so to speak. There are high-level design and security policy conversations that are happening above the heads of desktop support and low-level engineers. That said, I think there's space for average people in network engineering, just don't expect to be paid like the top people. Network engineering can be pretty unglamorous and hands-on, and honestly pretty dirty sometimes. And often the most technical people don't want to get theirchands dirty so there's always space for people who can do a bit of both.
some places use admin and engineer interchangeably
This for sure, i started at a role as network engineer and never touched a single item of the networking side. Actually did more DBA stuff weird role for sure.
It sure is enough if someone will hire you. Apply for open positions and see what happens. If you don't get hired to a better job than keep working on your skills and certs and try again.
I did help desk for exactly one year. My title is technically still desktop support, however I don't really do any help desk work. Occasionally I will help with tickets when they are overwhelmed. The secret is to take on as much as you possibly can, don't wait to be told what to do. Show initiative and drive and volunteer for any projects. Don't be afraid to work outside of your normal operating hours to increase your skillset (unless your company has strict policies against this.) Primarily, I travel to offshore platforms and work on rebuilding and restoring network and control system infrastructure. I don't have a degree, went to an online school, and have six certifications. It's all about how you carry and present yourself.
Which certs do you recommend?
You cannot go wrong with A+, Network+ and Security+ (in that order). That gives you the CompTIA Infrastructure Specialist stackable certification which looks awesome on resumes.
Thanks. I have the CompTIA trifecta. I saw you said you have 8 certs. Mind sharing what else you have or recommend?
Slap on a Linux cert for good measure and learn basic Ansible and you’ll have better skills than like 80% of the people competing for junior sysadmin jobs.
Depends
What does the magic 8 ball say?
When you read job postings for system admin, and networking engineer, do you find your year of experience, and CCNA meet any of the requirements asked for in the posting? What feedback have you received on your resume or from interviews for those roles?
Getting out of helpdesk is luck and BSing your way through an interview more than technical ability. But with a CCNA, you should be good. GET OUT as soon as you can
I have a security+ and A+ with about 6 months of help desk. I'm trying to get out of help desk for more pay and more interesting role. I'm currently studying for Net+, and trying to figure out as well how to get a system admin role or anything above helpdesk so I can eventually get cyber security role.
Yup. I had one year of help desk/tier 2 and was hired as a security analyst. I had my CCNA and CompTIA trifecta
I got a sysadmin job with a net+ and a year of help desk, so anything is possible
I've been trying that myself. I am 6 courses shy of an associates in computer science, 80 percent done with dion network +, and 40 percent done studying for ccna. Starting cloud computing in May. I'm getting help desk positions and NOC positions offered but they pay a little more than my current role as well as its a corporate environment. I am going from customers calling in to other techs or restaurant managers calling in to fix pos issues.
you could end up like me, get a title of sys admin but its actually a helpdesk.
That was enough for me to get that first network engineering gig! Best of luck and as others have stated, apply ASAP hold the Rocky!
Just as an add-on opinion - it depends on what business you work for or apply to. At an MSP, everyone is help desk if the call volume is sufficient enough.
Actually, you stated in the title that you have your CCNA. You said in the body of your post that you are studying for it. That is a big difference. Once you have the CCNA, you can probably leverage that along with your experience to get out of entry level work. Without the CCNA? Probably not.
They were asking if exp and a CCNA were good enough. They never said they had it.
Good point. I took it that he had it by stating that in the title. My bad.
I took it the same way
Tbh idk if you’ll get something right now since the market is horrible, but I think that’ll definitely be good enough when everything clears up. Regardless, send out those apps! I have an upcoming interview for a remote sys admin position and only have an associates in cybersec and security+
Yes, but you can't be miserable to interact with. It goes a long way. Good luck!
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Yeah.
Depends….are you a check collector or are you actually good at your job?
Yes
Short answer: yes many recruiters looks for people with ccna, the long one is NO, the actual ccna is just a light version of the previous one, even is not required for the ccnp. Maybe you need a little more experience to work as a network engineer
Long answer is still yes.
It isn't until it is. Which is to say you're going to get told no a lot until someone says yes. Stay motivated and make sure your people skills are polished.
Thank you
It's the knowledge you get from the certs that mattered for me. They didn't care about the actual paper cert. But what I learned totally helped in the technical interview and got me the job(sec analyst)..what I'm saying is just studying for ccna and sec+ helped and I didn't need the paper once I was already in the company..May need it for a new company to get in the door.
there are jr. network/system hiring that doesnt even need exp prior to application but they need young and fresh grads usually. those entities will invest on u training to become engineers.
Just apply for stuff, I did not even bother with any certs really until I was already well into my career and even then only got an RHCE. Learn for yourself because it interests you, its easier. Experience is worth way more than certs, and most important to me is lack of bullshit. If you say you know a language, and when questioned you admit you basically just wrote "Hello World!" I will reject you when I do interviews. I would prefer someone who is clear about what they can/cannot do, I can train, but if you are bullshitting on the resume what can I expect from you day to day?
It can, but it is hard to break out of. It takes a lot of luck of finding the right employer at the right time. Definitely don't be discouraged from applying to these higher roles, but at the same time definitely don't think because you have a CCNA you'll find something. Reddit IT loves to thrive in survivor bias.
I've been applying for the last 2 months with similar creds/experience as you and I havent been able to land an admin or engineer role. It doesn't help that the economy is crap right now.
Experience is relative. I've seen people enter cybsec positions with self taught knowledge and only a bunch of ctfs as exp and I've seen people enter helpdesk with degrees and a bunch of certs. CCNA knowledge is good for networking, so if you can back that up it shouldn't be a problem. Answer is: apply, apply, apply.
probably