Newbie looking for direction.

[newbie]

Hello I don't want to start of on the wrong foot so please excuse me if i am posting in the wrong place.
a little about me and my back ground i am currently and have been for the last 18 years a railroad employee .
I am a qualified communication maintainer and communication tech which doesn't say much as i am limited to what i repair and trouble shoot . OTN , aChannel banks install routers modem ,data connections , splice fiber . my issue is this is all on job training and everything i have learned i have learned here with out any certification . i want to learn more and actually get of the railroad . dam 47 and have no problems in fact i want to go back to school but looking for the quickest path and utilizing my work experience. i have a associates degree and have 1 1/2 undergrad at a 4 year university . the search for this path is pretty difficult and don't want to blow tons of money and not reach my goal . i am interested in cisco wireless ,networking i am currently working on acquiring a certification on fiber splicing and trouble shooting which i do daily at work but with out any certification . i appreciate your time and help and possibly there is some one here that may have at one time been in my situation that could assist me thanks ,

[deanwebb]

That's me. I cut over from teaching to networking when I was 45. Now, I did have prior IT experience for 7 years in the middle of my 16 total years of teaching, which did help. However, your work is definitely closer to IT work than teaching history and economics, so you're in better shape than I was, tech-wise.

Go for the CCNA. I'm working on a set of study questions and labs to help add to the official cert guide in terms of covering the material that's on the Cisco certification syllabus. Once you have your CCNA in Routing and Switching, you'll be able to get into networking fairly easily.

The CCNA is VERY important to have on your resume. I know a guy with 20 years in networking that retired from where I worked and started contracting because contracting + retirement benefits = sweet deal. In spite of his experience, his contracting company asked that he get a CCNA so that he can get better placement opportunities.

[newbie]

Thank You for you response . I was on a total different direction and am so glad i found this forum . Thank you

[deanwebb]

We're glad you found us, too! We are all about advancing the profession and helping people new to it to understand it and to share our dedication to doing quality work.

[icecream-guy]

I was going to suggest some cable tech certification, get you foot in the door in IT as a cable installer, get to know the network engineers, pick up some knowledge, and move into routing and switching, then moving into specializations such as wifi.  but then I thought that ain't quick.

At 47 you probably don't want to do that back breaking work. around 50is is when the employment age discrimination starts to hit. people don't want to hire because you look old, act old, or are old,  maybe earn too much money, where they can pay a younger guy with less experience a whole lot less. Believe me, I'm 52 and I'm starting to see it. if you got a good stable job, with good pay, maybe a pension. Might be worth hanging where you are at for another 20  and retire. Just something to think about.

Too bad ScottSee doesn't come by here very often, he's another good one, was a car salesman, won a contest on the old site, earned his CCNA and never looked back.
you can read about his journey here http://www.networking-forum.com/viewforum.php?f=66
but don't stay there long, all the "good" people moved here. Start at the bottom to get around all the post move fluff.

[that1guy15]

but don't stay there long, all the "good" people moved here. Start at the bottom to get around all the post move fluff.

Except for Steve, I dont know why the hell you guys invited him....

Anyways...
What area do you live in? Depending on the city and its size will help to understand what you are up against.

[NetworkGroover]

but don't stay there long, all the "good" people moved here. Start at the bottom to get around all the post move fluff.

Except for Steve, I dont know why the hell you guys invited him....

Anyways...
What area do you live in? Depending on the city and its size will help to understand what you are up against.

Steve's a hooligan. 

[jason.copas]

I would recommend doing the 2 test route for the CCNA.  I believe it still ends up costing the same, and I feel it lets you absorb the fundamentals better.  I would recommend skipping the Comptia certs.  I've heard the quality has improved but they are not generally well regarded outside of DoD.

I was impressed with the quality of the cisco press ICND1 book by Wendell Odom, but I'm not sure if he did the current ICND1 book.

Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk

[deanwebb]

I would recommend doing the 2 test route for the CCNA.  I believe it still ends up costing the same, and I feel it lets you absorb the fundamentals better.  I would recommend skipping the Comptia certs.  I've heard the quality has improved but they are not generally well regarded outside of DoD.

I was impressed with the quality of the cisco press ICND1 book by Wendell Odom, but I'm not sure if he did the current ICND1 book.

Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk

^^^ Quoted for Truth
Odom is still the author of the new books, if I recall correctly, and the 2-test route comes out at $10 more or something negligible like that, but it's well worth spending.

[icecream-guy]

back in the day prior to the two test availability, one would have to pack him brain so completely with information that memories would start leaking out the ears,
and constant headaches due to the overwhelming amount of details to remember.