Where does the future of Networking jobs lie?

[akromyk]

After graduating college around 6 years ago I was told that I should climb the ladder of certifications to increase my chances of getting a job. I often heard that a good route to take was to get the A+ ->Network+ ->CCNA ->MCSA ->MCSE. Unfortunately, I was immature at the time and never bothered to do any of that. Now that things have changed I was thinking that I should do the same route but this time with the MCITP certification (rather than MCSE), along with Security+.

However, now I'm not sure what to do since it sounds like this "CLOUD" thing is right around the corner. If so many of the jobs that revolve around these certifications will be assimilated into Microsoft's cloud then where does the future of networking lie? Where will the jobs be in the coming years.

Based on my limited experience of the field it sounds like a good portion of these system admin jobs are going to out the window. I know that not every system admin job will disapear but I don't want to force my way into a part that is going to be squeezed more and more. Will any of these these low layer network jobs dealing with routers, switches, WANs, etc. grow? Will the demand for them increase at all as users demand more bandwidth?

Also, at the State of the Union address Obama mentioned building the nations wireless networks. Is that going to create any new jobs?

I hear from a lot of people that certifications barely matter and that work experience is what's important but the later doesn't matter if you can't find a job. Studying for a certification is at least something I can work towards at the moment.
Does anyone out there have any idea where there might be a growth in network related jobs in the coming years after this "cloud" and Obama thing start to take off?

Any suggestions on what I should study for as I prepare for the future?

 

[VinceWhirlwind]

The "Cloud" doesn't change anything much from an infrastructure point of view: you will still have clients connecting over networks to applications sitting on servers. Some "revolution".

The in-demand areas are:
Storage
Virtualisation
Cisco
Microsoft

 

[XoverIP]

akromyk,

I too was once seeking some similar wisdom in these tek-tips threads. I'm over 15 years in this industry now holding cert.s from many vendors.

Here's my advice- figure out what you most want to do...
SE
FE
desktop
server
etc,etc

If u're not sure, do some reading and call around to a few places in request of a job-shadow opportunity. If like and want to focus on networking, get in with a reseller or OEM. If you can't stomach the idea of NOT working on desktops again, maybe look for a small-shop where you can do desktop and server. If your heart's in the server side, pay u're desktop support dues (or maneuver around them) and get in the datacenter.

Personally, I thought I was supposed to be a FE. Then I took a SE job and was in disbelief at all the enjoyment in working there. If you figure out what's most appealing for akromak... u can't go wrong. You will find the job or the job will find you. ~mark these words, my friend.


I read this somewhere..."find a job u love doing and u'll never have to work another day in u're life".

Best of luck


Ixix CC, SWE, LCNCS-C, LNCS-OF ,3CSA, 3CNTS, 3CSE, NNCAS, NNCDS, ENA, ENA-PS, ENS, CCNA, CCDA, CCNP, CCDP

 

[technome]

I'm not sure what to do since it sounds like this "CLOUD" thing is right around the corner."
The cloud is pure hype, over 10 years ago the industry was pushing the same thing. I am in NYC, I doubt any company here would be stupid enough to embrace the cloud, not after 911. Here there were no phones, no Internet, no copper or fiber, for 1-3 months for many if not most businesses. Just image the Northeast being hit by a major hurricane; most of the copper/fiber infrastructure is above ground. Here on Staten Island, when a large hurricane hits (over due), I figure businesses will be without high speed Internet for at least 2 months. Until the nation's backbone is far more robust/redundant it will not happen.
After being in this business for this long I know the industries BS. 15-30 years from now, a possibility, if the government decides to subsidize the costs.

"I know that not every system admin job will disappear but I don't want to force my way into a part that is going to be squeezed more and more."
Not sure where it is going, the market is flooded with college grads, and will continue to be. If you specialize you can provide yourself job security/nice living if you pick the right area. If I were to do it over again, I would take accounting in college (not necessarily an accounting degree), then specialize in accounting software support. In this area you go out as a self employed Consultant, install the software, teach it to clients, then you would continue to support/teach the clients. You would need to know Quickbooks, Peachtree well at a minimum, Sage, Great Plains Dynamics would be great. Medical software support would be another area. Both these areas get a high per hour rate.


"if you can't find a job. Studying for a certification is at least something I can work towards at the moment"
That what I did in the early 90s, that said I have 22 certs but I have been asked about them only 3 times since 1983. Definitely worth going for them, as you learn from them, but as a Consultant they become costly to study for, as I need to fore-go many billable hours to study. Personally I gave up getting certs, it a paper chase, but you need some certs, as it forces you to learn, especially if you do the hands on work as compared to just studying the books.

Nation's wireless..
This will be the future, it must be, but it will not happen in the near future, due to security issues and the infrastructure costs.


........................................
Chernobyl disaster..a must see pictorial

http://www.kiddofspeed.com/default.htm

 

[VinceWhirlwind]

Agreed Technome - so much Outsourcing has been exposed as such a huge rip-off, that they are re-badging it as "Cloud".

The word "Cloud" is intended to mislead - what they mean is outsourced services. There are plenty of businesses for whom outsourcing various services to an off-site provider works out very well. And there are plenty of services that won't benefit from the reduced performance and increased risk of "cloud" outsourcing. You just have to make a sensible decision based on facts, not hype.