Tips To Become Computer Network Engineer

A telecommunications network engineer in general is a professional who designs, installs and maintains telecommunications and computer networks. This is not an entirely technical role as the Network Engineer will ideally have an understanding of business processes to ensure any design offered is appropriate to the operation of the business. The network infrastructure must enable the business to meet its goals and ensure long term productivity. If the network infrastructure is underspecified it can bring a business to a standstill.

Usually network engineers have a technical degree in Telecommunications or Computer Sciences or are engineers. In addition to these certificates the net work engineers may also hold manufacturer certified apprenticeship schemes like the Cisco, Juniper, HP and many related companies. In the current society, the general training packages have made more significance to learn all the practical aspects of network engineering. There are many recognized training courses, on job training and developments and exams which are introduced to people by The Building Industry Consultancy Services International (BICSI). These are good programmers that have offered themselves, and many older students who might be looking for job change.

To design the network and to trouble shoot the seven layer architecture, the network engineers use the open systems interconnection as a tool, which is a very helpful tool in the education process of the network engineers. The communication between the two devices will be divided in to seven layers from this architecture. To give an example, the physical layer which is the bottom layer in the architecture. It includes the connectors and the cables or may be air for wireless connections as well. This layer is required to connect any two devices physically. The data link layer is the second layer which will safely transfer the data across the physical layer. The third layer is the Network layer, which will establish, maintains and clears down the connection across the network. The most important protocol which is used in the Network layer is IP (Internet Protocol).

The rest of the layers are transport layer commonly known as TCP Transport Layer Protocol, session layer, presentation layer and the application layer. It is vital to know all the seven layers of the architecture and the prominence should be given to the first four layers. The running ans the termination of a copper or optical fibre cables, or wireless links and to configure the link and routing the protocols efficiently and effectively are the identifications of a good network engineer. They must also be good in providing the network security and guarantee their customer's data and telecommunications links are safe from hackers, viruses and malware attacks.

A network engineer may originate from the structure cable installers, ex military personnel and the network administrators. The Network Engineer may develop on the specialty as a network architect, wireless specialist or security expert. His salary will depend upon the experience, on an average the payment will be between $50,000/- to 80,000/-. Good network engineers will travel around the world and may be in great demand when it comes to troubleshoot serious problems or redesign failed networks for the business

Computer Networking Terminology - Free Online Computer Tips

There are thousands of words, phrases and terms used in the networking world. Since most of us are not future Cisco employees we decided to list some of the more common terminology you may come across or need to know. Here is a listing of important words, phrases and terms you should know about networking.

Bandwidth - the rated throughput capacity of a given network media or protocol. The amount of data that can be transmitted in a fixed amount of time.

Backbone - A high-speed link joining together several networks.

Bit – A unit of information having just two possible values, as either of the binary digits 0 or 1.

Byte - a series of consecutive binary digits that are operated upon as a unit. There are 8 bits in a byte.

Category 5 (cat 5) cable -A type of twisted pair network wiring in which there is a certain number of twists per foot. It is the most commonly used network cabling.

Coaxial Cable - A type of cable consisting of two insulating layers and two conductors most commonly used in older networks.

Collision - An attempt by two devices to transmit over the network at the same time usually resulting in the data being lost.

DNS (Domain Name System) - an internet service that translates domain names into IP addresses. For example www.google.com translates to 66.102.7.99.

Dynamic DNS - A method of keeping a domain name linked to a changing IP address using a pool of available IP addresses so you can use applications that require a static IP address.
Domain - A group of computers and devices on a network that are administered as a unit.
DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol ) - A TCP/IP protocol that dynamically assigns an IP address to a computer. Dynamic addressing simplifies network administration because the software keeps track of IP addresses rather than requiring a network administrator to do so.

Ethernet - Ethernet is the most widely installed local area network technology. It was developed during the late 1970s through a partnership of DEC, Intel, and Xerox.
Fiber Optic - A cable technology that uses glass (or plastic) threads (fibers) to transmit data. It is a very fast technology

Gateway - A device on a network that serves as an entrance to another network and routes traffic

Hardware (MAC) address - A unique address associated with a particular network device

Hub - A common connection point for computers and devices in a network that takes an incoming signal and repeats it on all other ports

Internet - Term used to refer to the world's largest internetwork, connecting thousands of networks worldwide. Also known as the world wide web (www)

IP address - a 32-bit address assigned to hosts using the TCP/IP protocol. Each computer/device on the public internet has a unique IP address. An example of an IP address is 192.168.1.

LAN (Local Area Network) – computer/data network which is confined in a limited geographical area.

MAC Address (Media Access Control) - A unique identifier attached to most forms of networking equipment. It is burned into the device and cannot be changed

Megabit - A measure of data transmission speed - 1 million bits per second or approximately 125,000 characters per second

Megabyte - A unit of measure for memory or hard disk storage capacity. 1024 megabytes = 1 gigabyte.
Network - A group of computers and devices that can communicate with each other and share resources.
Network Interface Card (NIC) - A hardware device inside a computer or other network device that enables communication with a network.
Packet - The unit of data sent across a network. Data is broken up into packets for sending over a packet switching network.

PING (Packet Internet Groper) - A command used to test connectivity to a device over a TCP/IP network.

Protocol - Rules determining the format and transmission of data over a network
RJ-45 - Standard connectors used for unshielded twisted-pair cable. Most commonly used with Cat5 network cabling.

Route - A path through an internetwork.

Router - A device that routes/forwards data across a networks.

Server - A computer that handles requests for data, email, files, and other network services from other computers (clients)
Subnet - A portion of a network that shares a common address component but is on a different segment than the rest of the network.

TI Line - A high speed dedicated data line that supports a transmission rate of 1.544 Mbps

TCP/IP - Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol. A suite of protocols used as the basis of the nation's internetwork (Internet). It can also be used on internal networks.

UNC (Universal Naming Convention) Path - A UNC provides a naming convention for identifying network resources. UNC names consist of three parts, a server name, a share name, and an optional file path.
WAN (wide area network) - A network linking together networks located in other geographic areas.

Tips on How to Network Two Computers to Same Printer

Many times, you may need to connect more than one computer to a single printer. This can happen either in the case of home based businesses with various groups or even in regular offices with many users involved.

Tips to connect 2 computers to one printer
While going about connecting 2 computers to one printer, you need to follow a few steps to ensure the process is smooth and hassle-free. Here we outline some of these basic steps.

Connection: To be able to connect both computers to a single printer you need to setup printer on ‘client’ PC:

Connect printer to ‘client’ PC and install it. This way all required software and drivers are installed.

Reconnect to ‘host’ PC

Select ‘Properties’ by right clicking

Select ‘shared’

In ‘client’ PC:

Select ‘My Network Places’ or ‘Network Neighborhood’

Printer appears as ‘shared’

Double click on the printer to install it

The same printer is now installed twice - as local and network printer

If always using network printer, set it as ‘default’

Set up a LAN: To be able to perform a 2 pc 1 printer connection, you first need to set up a LAN or a Local Area Network. To do this, follow these instructions:

You could either use a network adapter in your home office OR

To view the status of the network connection, you need to

Double click on Network Connections

Right click on the particular LAN

Select Status option

You could also right click on the LAN, click on Properties and then select the ‘Show icon in taskbar notification area when connected’ checkbox. This will enable you to automatically view the status in the taskbar area

Get a printer switch: Printer switches enable you to connect 2 computers to one printer. They come in a variety of types such as auto printer switch and parallel printer switch. There are several vendors available online who provide these switches at good discounts.

Crossover cable: You can easily get a crossover cable from your local computer store to connect your computers to your printer. After that you can network and open the desired printer and enable it to be shared between both computers.

Print server: A print server enables you to print simultaneously from two computers at the same time. However you need to ensure you have a router (which will act as a DHCP server). You also need to make sure that it’s not a multifunctional printer you’re working with since most print servers are not able to work with such kinds of printers. In case you do not have a router, you could purchase a PSUS4 print server, then assign static IP on the network cards and print server.
No network ports present: In case there are no network ports present, then you can use either USB or parallel port adapters for your purpose.

Computer Network Maintenance Tips

In the age of globalization, computer network plays a crucial role. Today, most of the companies operate from multiple locations, sometimes from different countries or from different cities in the same country. In any industry, most of the work is done with the help of computers; therefore, maintaining a computer network becomes extremely important. The computers could be connected with the help of a Local Area Network or through Wide Area Network. Information is sent through this network which could range from two to thousands of computers. Networking of these computers is extremely essential for not only helping the employees to communicate, but also to send and received information. With these large networks in place, it has become extremely important to maintain a good computer network.

Maintenance of computer networks in a proper condition is extremely important for the smooth operation of the day to day operations. For any computer network, server plays a crucial role. It is called as heart of the network. Ensuring a good quality and reliable server could help you to avoid many problems related to the network. Server is also a place where the data and information are stored. Therefore, it is also important to have a back up server in place so that if the primary server fails or does not work, the employees can be asked to switch to another server. This will also ensure smooth conduct of the business without any disturbances. Always ensure that the operating systems of the computers in the network including the server receive regular updates at the right time.

Your computer network is also required to have a up-to-date antivirus system and firewall to minimize the chances of virus attacks that can be caused due to internet or through other network. As far as possible, restrict the usage of internet and removable disks like USB drives, or CD drive.

Computer networks are the backbone in today’s world. If the networks are attacked, your businesses could suffer and you may have to incur huge losses. So maintaining them in proper condition would definitely decide the profitability of your business.

computer networking tips and tricks

How to set up and optimise your home network:

Running a home network is pretty essential in this day and age.

Thankfully, modern hardware and software has reduced the complexities of configuring networks down to a few setup screens, and the relevant hardware often comes free with an internet connection.

If you have multiple computers, the chances are they're already talking to each other, either through wires or wirelessly. However, while your home network might be up and running, optimising it takes some doing. Follow our simple tips to extract the last drop of juice from your network hardware.

1. Change channel number

Wireless routers operate on a fixed channel. Since most routers ship with a pre-selected channel, the wireless signal may interfere with other routers in the vicinity that are operating on the same channel.

Changing the wireless channel from the factory default is a good starting point if your wireless signal strength is poor.

2. Give the router space to breathe

The biggest advantage of a wireless router is that it can penetrate doors and walls – but that doesn't mean you can just stuff it next to a wall or cordless telephone, or use it as a stand for your stack of DVDs. Treat it with respect.

Try to keep it in a central location, away from other wireless devices; make sure it's not in direct sunlight; lift it off the carpet; and ensure its vents and air holes aren't covered.

3. Improve reception

Try as you might, you'll find it's sometimes not possible to put the router in a good spot. One way around the problem is to buy a router with multiple antennas and point them in a variety of directions covering your home.

Alternatively, if you've already got a router, check whether it's possible to upgrade its antennas to something stronger. However, don't get disheartened if your router doesn't have any antennas. A wireless repeater compatible with your router is a perfect solution.

4. Use WEP

Running an unsecured network will earn you brownie points from neighbours and hackers with cars, but that's about it. Wireless routers support a variety of encryption methods, such as WPA and WEP, but these aren't enabled by default.

WPA2 is the most secure method at the moment, but before deciding on an encryption method, make sure your network cards and adapters support it as well. Bear in mind that older machines – and games consoles such as the Nintendo DS – don't support WPA.

5. Restrict access to specific PCs

If you really don't want to use encryption, you can force your router to only connect to specific PCs. Your router identifies each computer by the unique MAC address of its network gear. Feed it a list of MAC addresses to connect to and you save yourself the trouble of entering a password each time you log in.

The disadvantage is that you'll have to add the MAC address of any new computer before it can get on your network – which is probably a more annoying way of getting things done.

6. Disable SSID broadcast

All wireless routers have a Service Set Identifier (SSID) that identifies them to network computers. Routers from the same manufacturer generally ship with the same SSID; 'Netgear' or 'Cisco', for example.

You should first change the SSID to something unique to set your router apart from those of your neighbours. Then, once all your hardware has been set up, it's better to turn off broadcasting the SSID altogether. This ensures your router isn't displayed in the list of available networks, and won't be a target for potential hackers.

7. Keep the firmware updated

Router manufacturers keep working on firmware, even after hardware has been shipped. In addition to tweaks in the user interface, new versions might make better use of the various components in the router, or add extra features.

Just like with an operating system, it's a good idea to upgrade the firmware of the router regularly – check the manufacturer's website for a new version. In the good old days, there was the risk of a botched firmware upgrade bricking your router, but it's a lot safer today.

8. Familiarise yourself with the router manager

All routers ship with a browser based manager. To use many of the tips in this article, you'll have to log in to this interface – try typing 192.168.1.1 into your web browser for the most common location.

It's a good idea to familiarise yourself with the various options and settings you can tweak from within this software. Many routers also have detailed documentation that's updated regularly, so hunt out the latest manual online.

9. Check your connections

There's nothing more irritating than receiving a 'cannot connect to remote machine' error. To ensure a solid connection, use Ethernet cables where possible. It's also a good idea to check the connection between the two PCs with the ping command.

To do this, simply open a command line and type, for instance, ping 192.168.1.2. You'll need to replace the address given here with that of your target machine. Ping works identically on Windows, Mac and Linux.

10. Forward ports
Many servers and applications – for example, file-sharing software, FTP servers and music-streaming servers – need to serve people outside the network. These applications accept connections on specific ports.

With port forwarding – check your router's interface – you can poke holes in your router and ask it to direct incoming traffic on a particular port (or, if you wish, a range of ports) to a specific computer that's on the network.

11. Change DNS providers

DNS is what fetches you a website by translating the human-friendly address, such as www.pcplus.co.uk, into a bunch of machine-friendly numbers. It also displays the '404 page not found' error, corrects misspelt URLs and finds the fastest route to a web server that hosts the site you want to visit, along with lots of other cool things.

Generally, it's up to the ISP to put up a DNS server. However, there are other free services as well, including the likes of OpenDNS and Google Public DNS.

12. Use USB adapters

These days, it's difficult to find a laptop or netbook without a built-in wireless module, but if you've used one, you'll know that they can't always be relied upon. Network cards with antennas are the best option, but they're really only suitable for desktops.

If you really need both mobility and assurance, make sure you get a USB adapter. Most of them ship with a Windows driver, but many work out-of-the-box on Linux as well.

13. Enable Dynamic DNS

The Dynamic DNS feature enables you to connect to your computer remotely. Back in the day, when real-estate on the web was expensive, it was a wonderful option to show off your HTML skills and host your own website.

Now, by associating your dynamic IP address with a domain name, DDNS enables you to connect to the internet-exposed home computer from anywhere in the world. In addition to enabling the feature on your router, you'll also have to register with a dynamic DNS provider, such as DynDNS.org.

14. Save power with Wake-on-LAN

What's the point of keeping a print server on when there's nothing to print? The smart way to save energy is to use the Wake-on- LAN feature of the network card. Thanks to this, you can put the machine to sleep after it's been configured to wake upon detecting network activity.

15. Encrypt your online activity

With the range of snooping tools now available, it isn't safe to do anything online without covering your footprints. There are lots of tools that promise to encrypt your online activity, making it completely unintelligible to anyone who might be listening in.

Some of the best ones to try are the Enigmail plug-in for Thunderbird, Psi for Google Talk and FireGPG, available for Gmail.

16. Get a Firewall distro

You can configure a firewall on a Windows or Linux machine, and there are also a bunch of third-party software firewalls available. However, building a firewall isn't easy. If you're serious about putting one up, download a dedicated firewall distro, such as Ebox.

17. Install the software

Ebox is distributed as a Live CD ISO and there are VirtualBox/VMWare images as well. It's based on Ubuntu Server 8.04. You can also pull in Ebox packages to a standard Ubuntu Server 10.04 installation.

18. Configure settings

Ebox can be adapted flexibly to your network. You can use it to restrict services that can be accessed and slice the network to keep some areas more secure than others. The distro runs a browser-based interface for adding, removing and configuring the components.

19. Filter content

Besides the firewall, intrusion detection (via Snort) and filtering content (via DansGuardian) are two other highlights of the distro. DansGuardian can also plug into the ClamAV antivirus scanner and filter content based on known virus signatures.

20. Exploit other features

In case you're still not satisfied, Ebox can also act as a gateway and provide a host of other services. It bundles various applications that enable you to turn your network into a VPN, host XMPP chat sessions or run a Postfix mail server, a Squid web proxy and more.

21. Turn on UPnP

Universal Plug and Play helps smart devices that support UPnP to discover each other without any user intervention. Once turned on from within your router, UPnP enables a compatible infrared device, a Bluetooth phone or a FireWire camera to see and talk to each other.

22. Write files remotely

The most logical use of a network is to share files. This is the job of the SMB protocol. Thanks to it, you'll be able to write files to a remote network share via Network Neighbourhood. On Linux, the SMB protocol is implemented by Samba.

23. Share printers remotely

In addition to sharing files, SMB can be used to share printers attached to a Windows machine. Once configured via the Windows Control Panel, a printer can be used to accept print orders or even be managed from a remote machine, irrespective of its operating system.

24. Format shareable partitions as FAT

PCs running Windows can easily see each other and share files. For Linux or Mac machines, ensure the partitions are formatted with the FAT filesystem. Create them as Samba shares and they'll show up under Network Neighbourhood.

25. Plug in USB drives

Once, if you wanted to share files on the network, a network-attached-storage, or NAS, device was the best bet. Not any more. New routers enable you to plug in one or more USB devices that are automatically accessible by all the users connected to the router.

The Benefits of Hubs vs. Routers for Computers

Hubs and routers are two pieces of computer networking equipment that perform similar functions. Both hubs and routers act as connectivity centers of a computer network, and they each handle signal input and output, sending data to the places that they need to go. However, despite the fact that routers are a great deal more advanced than hubs, hubs still have some benefits and advantages.

Price
Hubs are at the bottom of the food chain when it comes to computer networking equipment, and as such, they're also the least expensive. A router is the top of the food chain of network devices, and because of this, a router might cost twice as much if not more than a simple hub. Routers have the ability to handle input and output from a variety of different connections, and routers can add a lot of speed to your network if you're willing to use them. If you don't need all of the advanced features of a router (either because your activities are simple or because your network is small) then there's no reason to spend the money on a router when a hub will do.

Signal Strengthening
Routers may be the superhighways of computer networking, but they don't always boost your signal properly. This is especially true when you have a large network of computers. Sometimes if your signal is getting lost, then it's a good idea to insert an active hub. Active hubs will not only help pass the signal along, but it will strengthen your signal and make sure that all the important data get to the other end of the network. Adding in an active hub or two is like using an extension cord so that you can build your network even bigger. So, while using a router might be great for the network's brain, the hubs could act like the nervous system, keeping signals strong.

Compatibility
Hubs are simpler machines, and because of this, a hub is much easier to make a part of your network. Routers are more complex, so there may be compatibility issues because of manufacturer or other technological misfits. However, a hub is much easier for computers to get along with, and you don't have to do anywhere near as much customization. This is true both for wired and for wireless hubs, the latter of which are still less expensive than a high-quality router.

Advantages of Network Hubs

In a wired network, all of the computers and network devices are connected by wires or cables to a network hub, switch or router. The differences between the three types of network connection devices can be confusing to laymen, but the distinctions can be important in managing your network. Network hubs are the simplest type of connecting device for local area networks (LANs) and offer some distinct advantages for home networks.

1. Function

   • A network hub provides simple connectivity for a home network that doesn't need complex switching to manage high rates of traffic.

   Cost

   • A simple network hub is significantly less expensive than a switch or router. Some cost less than $30.

   Shared Internet Access

   • A network hub allows a single Internet connection to be shared among multiple computers.

   Scalability

   • Network hubs may have four, five, eight or 16 ports to which computers can be connected. Many network hubs also have an "uplink" port which allows the user to connect multiple hubs so that more computers can be connected to the network.

   Network Monitoring

   • Because network hubs transmit all data received to all connected devices, they allow easy, inexpensive monitoring of the entire network.

   Backward Compatibility

   • A network hub is the cheapest and easiest way to connect some types of older network devices, specifically those that only support 10BASE2 ports, to a modern network.

The Advantages of Networking

Networking is something that really has unlimited advantages. The expansion of your relationship base can only serve to help you in the long run. Whether the goal is personal improvement or business expansion, continual and consistent networking will benefit you.

1. Awareness

   • While there are a great many benefits with networking, one of the most beneficial is creating awareness. If your goal is to expand your business and gain market share, awareness is an absolute necessity. You must be top of mind to be in the discussion process for prospective clients. If you aren't in the the equation, you cannot be selected.
     Awareness also serves as a benefit when you are looking for a job, needing help with a project, or simply desire to expand your circle of influence. In an economic environment that has a high level of unemployment, there are going to be more people vying for the same jobs. Networking and creating awareness for yourself, will allow you to have more chances to gain employment.

   Income Generation

   • Proper and timely networking will lead to an increased opportunity for income generation. Income generation can mean selling more products or services or simply obtaining a new job. This Income is created through speaking to and meeting new people that have a desire to gain something from what you offer. This can only occur through putting yourself out there and meeting new people.

   New Ideas

   • This is something of tremendous benefit that is one of the more commonly left out networking benefits. The ability to gain new knowledge from another person is huge. New ideas can reveal benefits of your existing product or service that you didn't think of. It can be a different perspective on the current marketing angle you are using, or it be a whole new position about what you are doing.
     The ability to gain a new perspective is crucial. Networking provides the opportunity to test market your ideas to people. A third party can be a great benefit as they have nothing personally invested in you. At times, people can be too close to a situation, and they can get blinded by their own "good" ideas. Allow yourself the opportunity to increase your success odds by speaking to others.

   Opportunities

   • When you take the step of advancing your current circle of influence, you vastly increase your chances of having new opportunities offered to you. Opportunities can be for business, pleasure, personal growth, career advancement, or simply just knowledge. One of the worlds greatest business minds, Dale Carnegie, once said, "Smart business people understand the value of networking. Put simply, expanding your contacts improves your chances to build good relationships, discover leads and generate increased sales."

   Networking Tips and Ideas

   • There is no shortage of networking opportunities to take advantage of, especially with the constant expansion of the Internet. Try some of these:
     Chamber of Commerce
     Toastmasters
     Facebook
     LinkedIn
     Twitter
     Tips:
     When attending an event in person, try to find out who will be there in advance.
     Bring plenty of business cards.
     Prepare an interesting 30-second vision that you can present fluently to others.
     Be willing to listen and provide value to another person before asking for help.

Networking Experience

The common lament of job seekers, that "employers only hire people with experience, yet the only way to gain experience is to get hired" applies in the computer networking field as well. Despite optimistic statements that one hears frequently regarding the number of available jobs in IT, landing an entry-level position can still prove difficult and frustrating.

One way to gain networking experience is to pursue a full-time programming or help desk "internship" during the summer months, or a part-time "work study" job at school. An internship may not pay well initially, the work may turn out to be relatively uninteresting, and it is very likely one will not be able to finish any substantial project during the limited time there. However, the most important factor to consider is the training and hands-on experience such a job offers. The mere fact a person invests their time in this way, demonstrates the dedication and interest employers like to see.

The better the position, the more likely multiple candidates will apply for it, even if the job entails only part-time work. A good way to "stand out" from the competition is to demonstrate prior work and accomplishments, even if these involve projects done on one's own time. A person can start with a class project, for example, and extend it in some way. Or they can create their own personal projects, experimenting with networking administration tools and scripts, for example.

Explaining Experience
One of the most overlooked skills in computer networking is the ability to explain technical information. Whether verbally, through email, or in formal writing, networkers that communicate well gain a significant advantage in building their careers.

For the beginning networker, the most obvious benefit of good communications skills is realized in job interviews. Being able to talk with people about technical subjects can be hard to do, but as one gains skill in answering impromptu questions, one builds confidence and relaxes, making one that much better prepared for career advancement. It is a good idea to periodically engage in job interviews for this reason, even if the position involved does not seem particularly appealing. Likewise one should also consider visiting local job fairs occasionally.

Technologies

One of the most common questions asked by beginning networkers is "Which technology should I focus on first? Microsoft? UNIX? Cisco? Novell?" As with certifications, preferences vary from company to company and person to person.

One way for a person to answer this question is to start with the technology that appears most interesting to them personally. Researching a company that one plans to interview with, and choosing a technology that the company deems important, is another way. Ultimately it probably matters little which networking technology one learns first. More importantly, one should acknowledge that technology changes rapidly, and that the person who can enjoy a successful career by learning about only one technology is rare indeed.

Focus on the Basics
Computer networking involves a certain number of fundamental technologies. These technologies form the basis of many networking courses. Regardless of the form of education one chooses to invest in, one's career will always benefit from deeper study of technologies like IP and TCP/IP, the OSI model, Ethernet, internetworking, and others listed on this site, whether through formal coursework or through self-study.

Conclusion

Some people have asserted that networking (and IT generally) is a "young person's game," and that companies generally prefer to turn over their employee base periodically, to bring in younger, more affordable workers. This concept might sound appealing to some, but if it were true, it would make networking careers less inviting to most people.

Realistically, the field of computer networking presents so much complexity, and involves such a wide range of technologies, that most serious companies should value both experienced employees and ambitious new employees highly. In fact, an effective career strategy involves seeking out more experienced people in one's field, and learning new skills from these mentors.

Many firms view four-years degrees as a sign of commitment to the field. Network technology changes very fast, so employers care both about a person's current knowledge and also their ability to learn and adapt for the future. Certifications effectively prove current knowledge, but college degrees best demonstrate one's general learning ability.

Self-study in networking is always effective and underrated by many. By making contacts with those in networking careers, either people in one's local area, or individuals or sites on the Internet, one can quickly acquire a wealth of information ranging from technical details, to advice on writing a resume, to advice on specific hiring companies, schools, and so on.

Educational options abound for those interested in networking

High School and College Education

Those interested in networking careers can benefit greatly from earning a college degree. Most university programs don't offer a degree in Computer Networking per se, and the precise name of the degree varies significantly from institution to institution. Four-year degree programs suitable for the computer networking field usually involve a variation on one of the following:

Computer Science
Electrical and Computer Engineering
Information Systems
Communications Science
Telecommunications, Telecommunications Management
Telecomputing
As an alternative to a general four-year degree (that covers a variety of technical subjects besides computer networking), some institutions offer shorter-term programs focused specifically on networking topics.

Until recently, computer networking courses were only found in post-secondary education. Nowadays, though, high school students have the opportunity to take networking courses too. These classes can be quite substantial, involving among other things configuring routers and switches, installing wire, network diagnostics, monitoring network activity, and working with various network protocols and operating systems.

Which Program Is Best?
Is a college degree worth the investment, or is a shorter, more focused curriculum the way to go? Opinions vary. A four-degree can demonstrate to prospective employers a level of dedication and long-term flexibility that a short program cannot. On the other hand, a more focused program can teach the basic networking skills quickly, and allow more time for on-the-job experience.

Certifications

Network adminstrators and managers in particular have grown fond of networking-based certifications like Microsoft MCSE and Cisco CCNA. In general, to gain and keep a certification one must pass a lengthy (usually multiple-choice question) paper exam, then pass recertification exams at periodic intervals (usually every two or three years). A person has the choice of preparing for the exam through self-study or by enrolling in a certification course or "program" run by a training organization (sometimes within high-tech companies themselves). Taking any certification exam involves paying a test "sitting" fee (usually in the range of $100 to $300 USD), and employers sometimes reimburse their employees for this cost.

Certifications are designed to accredit someone for a certain amount of industry experience that they've already gained. Some of the programs will even make recommendations to this effect, typically one to two years of prior background for the entry-level certifications. However, experience is not strictly required. Some have criticized the entry-level exams for being too "bookish" in this respect, too easy to pass without prior hands-on experience.

Which certification is best? MCSE? CCNA? Something else? Again, the answer depends on the individual's interests and also the preferences of hiring companies. Some ambitious students of networking avoid this problem by acquiring multiple certifications... sometimes as many as five or more! Be aware, though, that certifications are an incomplete substitute for formal education and industry experience. Ideally, one will acquire a few certifications as part of a balanced overall mix of education and career experience.

Many companies, particularly larger ones, offer their employees ongoing training opportunities. The employer will either build their own courses or will bring in an outside company to hold the training. These courses are typically focused on a specific product technology or tool, or on the specific technical information needed to pass a certification exam. One could argue it is preferable for the beginning networker to focus on general technologies at first rather than certifications, as companies in these case likely prefer to train employees "their own way" anyhow.

How to Become a Networker

Many view computer networking as one of the best and "hottest" career fields available today. Some claim that a serious shortage of qualified people to fill these networking jobs exists, and these claims may lure some people into the fray hoping for an easy position with a fast-growing company.

Don't be fooled! Debates over the actual extent of any "shortages" aside, networking involves mostly hard work, and competition for the high-quality positions will always be strong. Continue reading to learn more about beginning or expanding a career in networking, and pick up some valuable job-hunting tips that also apply to many other types of technical careers.

Job Titles

Several types of positions exist in networking, each with different average salaries and long-term potential, and one should possess a clear understanding of these. Unfortunately, job titles in networking, and in Information Technology (IT) generally, often lead to confusion among beginners and experienced folks alike. Bland, vague or overly bombastic titles often fail to describe the actual work assignments of a person in this field.

The basic job titles one sees for computer networking and networking-related positions include

Network Administrator
Network (Systems) Engineer
Network (Service) Technician
Network Programmer/Analyst
Network/Information Systems Manager
The Network Administrator
In general, network administrators configure and manage LANs and sometimes WANs. The job descriptions for administrators can be detailed and sometimes downright intimidating! Consider the following description that, although fictitious, represents a fairly typical posting:

NETWORK ADMINISTRATOR - HOBO COMPUTING
"Candidate will be responsible for analysis, installation and configuration of company networks. Daily activities include monitoring network performance, troubleshooting problems and maintaining network security. Other activities include assisting customers with operating systems and network adapters, configuring routers, switches, and firewalls, and evaluating third-party tools."
Needless to say, a person early in their career often lacks experience in a majority of these categories. Most employers do not expect candidates to possess in-depth knowledge of all areas listed in the job posting, though, so a person should remain undeterred by the long, sweeping job descriptions they will inevitably encounter.

Comparing Roles and Responsibilities
The job function of a Network Engineer differs little from that of a Network Administrator. Company A may use one title while Company B uses the other to refer to essentially the same position. Some companies even use the two titles interchangeably. Firms making a distinction between the two often stipulate that administrators focus on the day-to-day management of networks, whereas network engineers focus primarily on system upgrades, evaluating vendor products, security testing, and so on.

A Network Technician tends to focus more on the setup, troubleshooting, and repair of specific hardware and software products. Service Technicians in particular often must travel to remote customer sites to perform "field" upgrades and support. Again, though, some firms blur the line between technicians and engineers or administrators.

Network Programmer/Analysts generally write software programs or scripts that aid in network analysis, such as diagnostics or monitoring utilities. They also specialize in evaluating third-party products and integrating new software technologies into an existing network environment or to build a new environment.

Managers supervise the work of adminstrators, engineers, technicians, and/or programmers. Network / Information Systems Managers also focus on longer-range planning and strategy considerations.

Salaries for networking positions depend on many factors such as the hiring organization, local market conditions, a person's experience and skill level, and so on.