ZNDP 038 – Ask Zig – My job isn’t challenging or providing me needed experience, what should I do?

Network Community, Podcast, ZNDP

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In today’s installment we have an Ask Zig episode.  Roy from Virginia sent in the following question: “My job isn’t challenging or providing me needed experience, what should I do?”  Hear the answer in today’s episode!!

Roy from Virginia sent in this question:

Roy has recently transitioned into a new role as a Network Engineer but he is running into a similar issue that he has been in before. It seems like a lot of the jobs aren’t as challenging and don’t offer the needed experience.  For example, most of the time i’m left with no work or doing very easy tasks like changing VLANs on a switchport. Do you have any recommendations on how to position myself in a spot where i’m able to learn and develop my networking skills?

What you mention here is a very common situation in the industry.  The reality of the situation is that you will never truly know a position or role until you are actually in it. I’m not saying all Network Engineer Roles are the same here, what I am saying though is that you will not know until you are in the specific role.

The 4 Important Items:

I like to break it down into 4 important items:

1. Rewarding work

2. Having purpose

3. Continuous Learning

4. Studying

How to position yourself!

Now as to what recommendations on how to position yourself to be in a specific role or position, I think you first need to identify what your end goal and end destination is?  What are you passionate about and how can you embrace that passion into your career?

If you are simply just looking to be challenged and to help improve your networking skills, then thats easy to position yourself into a role that includes those items. 

From a challenge perspective:

  • I would highly recommend taking a role with an integrator, a Vendor Partner, or a Value Added Reseller. 
  • This will be a challenge because its very fast pace, you will be jumping from one technology to another every week. 
  • You will need to learn new technology very quickly and be able to explain it to customers and make it relatable .
  • The downside of positions like these are that they usually require a lot of nighttime / weekend work and / or travel.

Outside of a position like this:

  • I think finding what you are looking for will be highly dependent on the company, the vertical, and the culture. 
  • A lot of this you can find out during the interview process.
  • Keep in mind, the interview is for both parties, its not a one-sided interview.
  • You are interviewing the company
    • right core values
    • right company
    • right position

In the case that you are in now:

I would focus on you challenging yourself and developing your networking skills.  If you have a desire to make yourself better at something, thats the hardest part.  Now all you need to do is dedicate the time and learn.

Hopefully that answered your question Roy.  Thank you for sending it in!

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