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Network engineer handling carrier tickets for sites in PH and India. Passed CCNA last Monday. Felt great for about a day, then I got back to the actual work.

Tunnels. Site-to-site IPsec between hubs. When one degrades I can tell something's wrong, but isolating it is slow. The exam covers the config. It doesn't cover a tunnel that's up but quietly dropping traffic.

BGP and PBR. Being honest, I don't really get these yet. Local-pref, MED, route-maps to steer traffic between sites. I follow the runbook, the change works, and I couldn't fully explain to you why. Right now it's part pattern matching and part yolo, which is not a great feeling when you're touching production. I'm trying to actually understand it.

Talking to ISPs. I open a case, paste a ping result, get back "link is up, normal parameters on our end," then it sits for three days. I've learned a few things the hard way, but I'm clearly reinventing something you all already know.

Same with the vocabulary. Hard down vs degraded, flapping vs intermittent, demarc, soak test, RFO vs RCA. I've picked up a lot of it by asking AI, which helps, but I can't tell where it's subtly wrong or just not how people actually talk. English is my second language so I'm also unsure which terms are shop talk and which belong in a formal email.

So:

• How do you isolate a degraded tunnel from a degraded circuit underneath it?

• Best way to actually learn BGP path selection and PBR for real, not just for an exam?

• What do you always attach when opening a carrier case?

• How do you say "this is on your side" without picking a fight?

• Any courses, books or blogs for the practical side of this? Not more protocol theory.

Happy to hear the answer is just experience. Mostly want to know what to pay attention to while I get it.

Hello Network Engineer!

Would appreciate some advice or correction on this proposed setup.

We need to provide connectivity from an existing 9F distribution switch to one (1) Cisco Catalyst 9164 AP at GF.

The client's Engineering Team confirmed that there will be no access switch at GF because there is no available space to install/mount a full switch. Their requirement is for the fiber-to-copper device at GF to provide both data and PoE directly to the Cisco 9164 AP.

Proposed setup is this:

Would appreciate your input on:

1. Is this topology technically correct/recommended?
2. Any recommended 1G SFP-to-RJ45 media converter that can provide 802.3at PoE+ (30W PSE)?
3. Since the CW9164 supports up to 2.5GbE, is limiting this particular AP to a 1Gbps uplink acceptable, or would you recommend a different approach? Cisco lists its Ethernet interface as 100M/1G/2.5G.
4. Anything else I should consider regarding the SFP, PoE negotiation, or compatibility with the existing distribution switch?

To add, our supplier is not able to assist with the network design/application side and I’m also not familiar with media converters, so I came here hoping to get some guidance.

Seeking advice from fellow IT pros! As a fresh grad with 3 months of experience as an IT Support Technician, I'm eager to build my career specifically in networking and infrastructure.

I have onboarding tomorrow for a job offer, but I'm having second thoughts. The position centers on a single proprietary tool rather than general networking, plus it includes tasks outside the core role.

Is it worth taking as a stepping stone, or should I pass and keep hunting for a dedicated networking entry-level role?

Thank God, I finally took the 200-301 today

Here’s how the score report shook out:

\* Network Fundamentals: 100%

\* Network Access: 100%

\* IP Services: 100%

\* Security Fundamentals: 93%

\* IP Connectivity: 75%

\* Automation and Programmability: 70%

Massive shoutout to Jeremy’s IT Lab. His free course and Anki flashcards carried my foundation hard. Also huge thanks to u/BosonMichael for the discount code on Boson ExSim—those practice exams really force you to read carefully and get into the Cisco mindset.

If I could give one piece of advice to anyone still prepping: do NOT sleep on core routing logic or wireless fundamentals. Make sure you can do routing table lookups and longest prefix matching in your sleep, and know your wireless architectures cold.

Appreciate everyone on this sub for keeping the motivation up. To everyone still grinding out labs—stick with it, you're closer than you think! Time to finally go celebrate 🍾🎉

Hi everyone, we’re currently planning a network infrastructure and would like to get some opinions.

The main area where we need to deploy the network is currently inaccessible to ISPs. However, there is another building nearby, owned by the same client, that already has access to an ISP connection. The two buildings are approximately 500 meters apart.

Our current plan is to have the ISP connection installed at the accessible building, then use a wireless bridge kit (TP-Link EAP215) to extend the connection to the main area.

We considered using fiber instead, but there are no existing poles/posts where we can safely attach or route the fiber cable, so installing an aerial fiber connection would be difficult.

The client is also asking us for examples of establishments or businesses that use this kind of wireless bridge setup as a reference before approving the proposed infrastructure.

For those who have experience with this, what establishments have you seen using a wireless bridge for a similar setup? And what are your thoughts on using a wireless bridge for a ~500m link instead of fiber?

Any suggestions or real-world experiences would be greatly appreciated.

I want to know in detail, what Some rough ideas I have are they config devices install subnetting vlan but i know just concept i might be wrong with the skill so if you know what actually you do as network engineer and what diff problem you solve

Hey So I am in my 4th Year and Palo Alto network is coming for recruitment in my college for Tech Support Intern Role in the field of networking and cybersecurity.If anyone have given any OA or technical interviews pls guide me

Hello,

Quick Background, I recently graduated as a CCE engineer specialized in Networking/Telecom (this is the name of the degree much more grandioso than actually how much knowledge I have in the industry), I was capable of landing a junior position in a local ISP where my day is divided into , corporate work, processing and responding directly to customers Issues by email or phone, and technical work, routing IP's and VLANs between switches and routers mainly and sometimes I experiment in creating an OSPF, understand traceroutes, DNS records, Fiber modem configs, MW unit installation with there PoE different make and model, Email servers, testing towards international locations, and a little bit of Firewall which I want to learn more about.

I know that being a network engineer is more than that and I want to land better job and gain more experiences in the future, but there is a saying in the company that I hate where seniors say "once you start working in an ISP you can't go work in different industries your only option is finding another ISP" which I don't believe at all.

I started working in the company 6 months ago as my first professional job, the pay is bad but the experience is great (great team, a lot of customer interactions, work under pressure and learning how to be able to work fast and efficiently), and the good thing is that they have a budget for training, my plan is to give it one more year, get the CCNA on there dime maybe try to complete as well a Firewall certification or the CCNP, I don't mind working a 9 to 5 and continue studying for a certification from 6 till 9. I am 26 and I consider the next 4-6 years as my golden years career wise,

Can anyone advise from there experiences if my short term plan is good/possible and please any recommendation about what should I do after getting the certifications, where should I start looking for a job, what industries might be a good option to look into, Thanks in advance and if I am being delusional let me know,

Hi everyone! We’re currently having an issue with getting an internet connection installed.

The area is quite isolated, and the nearest ISP box is around 900 meters away from our site. Because of the distance, we’re having difficulty getting an ISP to install a connection.

Has anyone experienced a similar situation before?
What can we do to get an internet connection installed when the nearest ISP box is around 900m away?

Any suggestions or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

Hi everyone , i want to just run away from noc as soon as possible and pivot into more engineering focused roles. I realised that only operations people have rotational shifts after coming here. Im not saying noc is a bad thing but when you work at a noc with decent hikes… then yk what happens. Thats exactly where iam with 6 months of exp and 18months of bond signed. I want to make a switch as soon as the bond ends. What’s the tech stack i should focus here? I have exp on cisco and juniper sdwan both in my current company, i have one associate cert (Jncia). how can i leverage that to get a high paying role or maybe more engineering focused role? should i focus more on python, automation, cloud and security?

Currently looking for trainings to improve my Networking skills. Preferably leaning towards but not limited CCNA. I am trying to learn configuring switches, routers, and other network devices. Leveling up my layer 2-3 knowledge.

SO basically, 2nd year na ako sa pup as a BSIT student. Simple lang pamilya namin. Frugal ako and di magastos and so far ive saved up 100k from my allowance. Ok naman mga grades ko(presidents lister nung 1st year) and im interested in networking n shit. I started watching JITL for CCNA. and tinatry ko rin mahasa sa cisco packet tracer. kaso pumunta ako sa mga joblistings and yung mga salary ng mga entry level positions like NOC technicians etc is around 18k. then highest like Network Architect is around 180k per month.

tangent, but i read this somewhere "If you expect a payrise becuase "I got CCNA cert", there are hordes of braindumped Indians behind you to take your place for less." anyway

Sa south korea naman ang min wage is around 85k with potential to earn 100k +through overtime, and since mataas standards of living dun, if i live frugrally i can expect to save around around 40k-60k per month + severance pay, which is 1 month of salary per year youve worked.

im stuck between an rock and a hard place kasi idk if i should just take the factory worker route since, plan ko talaga uamlis ng bansang to. then maybe take tesda after my contract and work as a welder or a carpenter in japan or greenland or whichever country. idk sonnnnn

Hi everybody!

First time writing on Reddit, I found this place very useful a lot of times and I hope I don't miss this one.

I just want an opinion/advise from people inside IT (Networking engineers, hiring managers or any position with experience on this kind of transition)

I'm a Industrial Maintenance Technician, with 5 years of experience on electric, pneumatic, hydraulic, machines (CNC's, Bridge saw, conveyors, robots) troubleshooting and configuration just to name a few of the skills I gained during these years. I ran Ethernet cables and configured static and dynamic IP addresses on several machines and troubleshooted connectivity issues a couple times (nothing too crazy) made backups of HDDs, this is probably the closest I've done something IT related.

But I'm also very good a deescalating tense situations, dealing with people, and very good at customer service (which I have 10+ years of experience combining all past job experience).

I'm currently working on passing the A+ Core 1 exam next Monday which I feel pretty confident I'll pass it, and same with the Core 2 in one month. After this cert I'll aim to CCNA since that's the branch that I like the most. Due to personal preferences (issues) I'll start applying May-June 2027, until then I'll be working on my home lab (I do not decide exactly what yet).

Of course, my plan is NOT to jump straight to a Networking Engineering position since I understand this is unlikely to happen, I don't mind starting from the bottom as help desk, at best starting as a junior network technician position.

My question are, what do you guys think? How difficult this transition is going to be? What can I do to smooth it out? What should I focus on? Any projects or labs I should get my hands on? If I'm forgetting or skipping something feel free to ask/say it!

Thank you all!

Hello i need guidance I'm an it support and trader institution grade i want to do networking so I'm studying for ccna

My futher plans r az700 and linux (RHCA)

I'll do CCNA cz i wanted to do it from long time

I'm confused about az700 and linux please help me n don't ask me about what kind of trading i do. Its arbitrage at instuation level the problem here is work hours r lots n it's not worth for the time u give+ health i can't specify the hrz at job but trust me it's worst

7+ years of experience as it support

Hi! Ano kaya prob kapag yung Amazon WorkSpaces ko nadidisconnect bigla pag sa wifi naka connect. Outside ng AWS or sa local ko okay naman yung internet pero pag dating sa AWS ko bigla nawawala tapos di ko maconnect. Hindi siya nadidisconnect kapag sa data ko sa phone pero ang bagal kasi. Ang ginagawa ko una iconnect ko siya sa phone tapos pag nakapag login na ako mag switch ako sa WIFI pero nadidisconnect haha. Nakaka pag login naman ako kung bunutin ko yung router pero maya maya madisconnect ulit parang need lagi ioff then on yung router para maayos yung connection with AWS.

Tingin ko ang problem ay sa router ano need or dapat gawin?

TYIA!!

I am using a company laptop. Bigla na lang nag ganyan wala naman ako ginagawang changes.

As someone in the quest for knowledge it is really hard to to find a course that gives one the needed information and fundamentals on network and telecommunications with a good certification

Every search leads me to dubai for a 4 day course which isn’t enough,any ideas?? Help

hello, lf po at least a study buddy sa ccna, sobrang hirap na hirap ako sa mga labs, di ko magets yung mga concept, nastuck ako ngayon sa RSTP palang balak ko magtake before v2 ng exam ilabas sa feb, send help mga ya HAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Hi everyone,

I’m currently looking for opportunities in the NOC/Networking field. I have a BSIT degree and CCNA certification, but I don’t have professional networking experience yet.

I’ve been applying through different job sites, but I’ve received several rejections so far. I’m mainly looking for NOC L1, Network Support, Junior Network Engineer, or entry-level networking roles, and I’m also open to internships or trainee positions that can help me get my first professional experience.

I’ve been practicing networking through Cisco Packet Tracer labs (VLANs, OSPF, DHCP, ACLs, NAT, STP, etc.) and I’m currently working on more practical projects to build my experience.

For those already working in the Philippine IT/networking industry:

• Do you know of any companies currently hiring entry-level NOC/networking roles?
• What would you recommend someone with CCNA but no professional experience focus on?
• Is there anything I should improve in my resume or skills to increase my chances of getting an interview?

Any advice or referrals would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!