[146718] in North American Network Operators' Group
Re: Looking for a Tier 1 ISP Mentor for career advice.
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Jared Mauch)
Mon Nov 21 10:01:14 2011
From: Jared Mauch <jared@puck.nether.net>
In-Reply-To: <CAJEFqDdP8JLLJNFM++JBHncREOic=X0TsUy2KUfvKp7VKLCzgA@mail.gmail.com>
Date: Mon, 21 Nov 2011 10:00:06 -0500
To: Tyler Haske <tyler.haske@gmail.com>
Cc: nanog@nanog.org
Errors-To: nanog-bounces+nanog.discuss=bloom-picayune.mit.edu@nanog.org
On Nov 21, 2011, at 9:09 AM, Tyler Haske wrote:
> I really appreciate the specific insights offered by Keegan and =
Valdis.
>=20
> - Linking me places to apply for jobs doesn't help. I'm aware of who =
is
> considered Tier I, and how to find their website.
>=20
> - I'm in Kalamazoo Michigan, and I can commute up to 50 miles. I can't =
move
> until I finish my Bachelors in Computer Networking.
>=20
> - The job market here is bad.
>=20
> - I do have a home lab. (Cisco equipment)
>=20
> 2 3350s
> 2 2950s
> 4 2611XMs.
>=20
> - This isn't merely a technical request. I'd like support in this =
endeavor,
> from someone who's 'been there', to tell me things I CAN'T Google.
The problem is that even talking about commuting to grand rapids (next =
biggest city compared to kz, excluding bc) there aren't a lot of local =
places. There is a nice set of WISPs out there on the west side that =
may be interesting.
There's a few interesting things to think about here:
1) The core space has gotten "less interesting" in recent years IMHO. =
While there are still cool things to do, there's more interesting ways =
to think about problems.
2) A multi-talented person is more useful than someone who thinks only =
about networking or hosts. This also comes with its own perils as you =
may not fit well in places that place you inside a box.
3) are you at WMU? Any openings there in the IT/Networking group? What =
about KVCC, or others?
There used to be a more robust local community of ISPs out there (e.g.: =
net-link/corecomm/voyager). You may want to consider talking to the =
folks at Climax Telephone as well. They were doing some interesting =
things last I checked.
Learn about the difference between purchasing and leasing. Understand =
the business side of the equation, not just the technical. These skills =
will bear fruit when you ask for hardware.
Hope this helps some. The market does change quickly (but is becoming a =
bit slower in some ways) so do be prepared for the business constant of =
change. If you are unable to adapt to change, you will be left behind.
- Jared
