Time to brush off the old 'job hunting suit'

[the-paco.livejournal.com]

Finding a job when you're one of those crazy people who learns by doing rather than getting degrees and certs kinda sucks. But I'm starting to think I need a new job. So here's my situation:

I know networking, as far as building cables, running cables(though no real hands on doing major drops for anything beyond 200 stations with patch to patch already laid by contractors), wiring up patch panels/IDFs, and all the physical crap associated with building a network. I'm not terribly strong on networking software setup beyond setting up firmware and assigning IPs (Need to learn how to figure subnets again, 5 years out of date), setting ports, all the simple crap that any monkey with a console could figure out if they read the firmware prompts and/or manual. I've not had any experience with anything more complex, but I know I can pick it up by simply being given the problem, the internet, the manual, and in a pinch, an expert to ask for a nudge in the right direction.

I know PC setup. Hardware, software, windows, macintosh, some *nix (also far out of date). All the physical setup, ? of the software setup, and how to find what I don't already know. Imaging, cobbling, repair, simple to intermediate soldering. I've worked callcenters for laptops when XP was new and an ISP. I've put together every computer I've ever owned and built computers for a company from bits we found laying around the inventory room which was my office with no problems on any of them. I know some SCSI (last thing I touched in any detail was wide ultra... I think), but never get to work with it enough to retain much for long aside from simple rules.

Knowing all this, I know that I deserve better than sitting in this 3-person quarter-cube cloth box and helping people help other people get on a connection made so simple only a human could screw it up. I deserve at least one more quarter of cube and no people.

Seriously though, I'm stagnating here, and I want to move on to something better. Better challenges, better responsibilities, better pay, and better chance of promotion.

Knowing all this, and knowing what you know, can you suggest to me companies or types of companies I might want to send my resume-eh off to? Anything I should put on my resume-eh to enhance the 'quick to learn and adapt' mentality I think I'm better with, rather than point out the 'not a big believer in funny pieces of paper with initials on them' as the glaring character flaw many companies seem to perceive it as? Should I just bite the bullet and try to get through an A /Net /CCNA? Is it worth it?

I'm thinking smaller out-of-the-way companies would be good. But I need to know the name of the internal position I'd be going for. What would it be called, being the guy who builds the machines or maintains the physical net that the company runs on? Is that even a position in places? Help me out, please.

(edit: Boy that looks large. I also know verbosity.)

Comments

[sheryls.livejournal.com]

with a broad range of skills like that, do you think you'd be suited for consulting? i didnt think i would like it, but i do. and the money is good.

CCNA/CCNP might be worth it for you if you really want to hit networking :P

[the-paco.livejournal.com]

perhaps, but where to start? It's not what you know....

[sheryls.livejournal.com]

i dunno. the second i put my resume on Monster, consulting firms are all that called me :P you could try googling "*your city, state* IT Consultants"

[tecie.livejournal.com]

CCNA gets a LOT of hits on monster.

[omg-teh-funnay.livejournal.com]

I recommend the A+ - it's referred to as the "Asshole filter" around here. If you aren't tech enough to pass the geek equivalent of the SAT, then you don't get to hang.

I have a business partnership with a guy that's an independant consultant, and not having the alphabit soup after his name has cost him business. Mostly larger gigs, though, he does well with smaller outfits who assume that certified == overpriced.

My two bits.

For reference, I have the A+, CNA and MCP. Yes, I am a Certified Novell Administrator :)

[the-paco.livejournal.com]

Alas, it seems you speak truth of the A+. I was burned out on the idea of certs after meeting more than my share of idiot MCSE's, CCNAs, and other various acronyms, but it seems A+ has endured long enough without much of a stigma attached to it. Shall try to get that one.

[masonstone.livejournal.com]

That one will help you. It's easy if you are geeky enough and it looks good.

[alysania.livejournal.com]

Companies in (i think) your area..
Netco (http://www.netcogov.com) - they do the networking crap for the government among other things.. I work with these doods on a daily basis, and sounds like what you've got experience in..
EDS (http://www.edscareers.com) - they've got a big center in Plano, TX

[anamacha.livejournal.com]

oooo ... EDS == BigEvilCorp. Used to work for them, sort of.

much better to be in a littleevilcorp, all things considered.

If you might consider a move to Austin, Wayport is a great company to work for. Lots of opportunities. They do all their recruiting on Monster.

[alysania.livejournal.com]

considering I'm a contractor to EDS, yeah, bigevilcorp. Most of the people I support agree with me. :-P
(and i'm assuming the austin thing was meant for the original poster.. virginia is already too far south of the mason-dixon for my liking)

[network-nerd.livejournal.com]

We have a "tech services" group (full of "techs") with backgrounds like yours. (We do treat them better than it sounds like where you are...)

We occasionally get people with backgrounds like yours applying for our "network engineer" positions, people who know all about the things you would plug into a network and virtually nothing about the internal pieces that make the network go (routers, switches, etc.). They don't get the job.

CISSP, CCNP, CCSE, MCSE, A+ (and working on CWNA)

[the-paco.livejournal.com]

yeah, network engineer isn't something I can do yet until I get some security protocols under my belt. I'd have to apprentice that or something, or hope an intermediate job gets opportunity to get access to it.

I DO know about routers/switches/etc, but can't program them effectively anymore, especially if they're going anywhere near the internet.

While I want to learn that stuff, the only way I can is to get access to it. Definitely can't at this job. There's nothing new to learn unless I want to go into management or onto the parent company (which isn't terribly appealing), and even then that's a bit of a reach, as it's huge.

[redqueenmeg.livejournal.com]

good luck to you! You might do well at my company, where degrees don't matter at all, but certifications do, but the starting pay is currently (crap - infinity)/infinity + 1. And no benefits. :(

[sheryls.livejournal.com]

wow! did we used to work together? :D

[redqueenmeg.livejournal.com]

Likely, likely. :)

[sheryls.livejournal.com]

OT: i love your ATHF icon :D

[redqueenmeg.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I do as well. I think if I were on the show, I would be Shake. I would like to be Frylock, but I'm honestly just too ridiculous.