Career Advice

General Network Design
1

Hello, everyone.

This might be a rather more unusual topic here as many threads are focused on specific Cisco topics. I have a question and a decision to make that will shape my future and since a lot of people here are experts and have many real-world experiences, I thought this would be a good place to ask :slight_smile:

To keep it somewhat short, I’ve started university. I’ve been here for a few weeks at this point.

We have 4 subjects here. In short, two of them are math-related, one is programming and the last one serves as an introduction to teamwork, etc.

As you could probably guess, my favorite ones are the last two and the ones I hate the most are the first two.

Ever since High School, I had problems with math. I can learn math if I know what I’m going to use it for but if someone just throws a bunch of math topics such as complex numbers or combinatorics at me without telling me in which specific IT field and where I will require it, I don’t learn efficiently.

Subnetting and the EIGRP formula are an example of this. I’ve discussed it and figured it out completely. I know what each coefficient does and why it works the way it dies. I did not mind the math nor figuring out what each letter/number does because I know it has a purpose for the protocol that I am learning. The same could be said about the Diffie Hellman process which also involves math such as generating prime numbers, etc.

The problem at my current university is that math takes a lot of time for me to cover. I’ve spent this entire week covering something from math and this is causing me to lose most of my time on it which doesn’t let me study for the CCNP as much as I would like to (and I still don’t fully get the math). I’ve only covered some CCNP once during the whole week which is a major lack of progress. It feels demotivating for me to do this for the next 3-5 years.

I don’t want a set of years to slow me down on the progress I’ve been making. Everything I know at this point is because I’ve studied it and because people like you helped me solidify it. No school helped me get here and I feel like my current university situation is just slowing me down.

My rule of thumb is that if I was to quit university, I would have to do something equally as productive. I have the CCNA and ENARSI certifications already, so my plan was to continue working at my current job (I only get to work there once a week because of univeristy), finish CCNP Enterprise (I am halfway done with ENCOR), cover DevNet Associate (possibly later professional) to learn how to program/automate networks, and then cover cyberops.

This, however, also raises the question - how valued are degrees in the IT industry? Is it possible to make it with just certifications and work experience?

I haven’t been thinking of dropping out yet because I’ve only been here for a few weeks and it might be too early to judge, so I’ve decided to ask you for your opinion instead since you’re experts in this field. How should I deal with this?

I appreciate any tips or advice :slight_smile: Thank you for all the help I’ve received here!

David

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Hello David

First of all, it’s great that you expressed your dilemma here, and I appreciate the fact that you shared all of these details. What I will share with you comes from almost 30 years of experience and it’s my personal take on the topic,

First of all, any certification, Cisco or otherwise, is not a replacement for a university degree. You can have all the world’s certifications, but they don’t give you the same benefits that a university degree does.

In university, regardless of what the subject of study is, you learn to think analytically, critically, and academically. The interaction you have with professors and other students, in lectures, labs, and just in university life in general, enriches your mind in a way that certifications cannot. In my experience, the most valuable asset I got from my years in university was that I learned how to learn. That in turn helped me to more fully take advantage of the opportunities I was given later in life, and to more quickly reap the benefits of these opportunities.

So my first point is that although you have achieved a lot by completing CCNP Enterprise and halfway through ENCOR already, even before completing university, don’t use that as an excuse for yourself to say “I don’t need university”.

Now you also asked:

This is a valid question, but I think the more important question you should ask yourself is, how valuable is a university degree to your life in general? Because university is not only there to give you a career, but also to enrich your life in general. Learning how to learn, and how to think critically and analytically are all things important to the IT industry, but they are also important to life in general. From my understanding you are quite young, so it’s not easy to think outside of the confines of getting a job, and achieving success in a career.

I would say a university degree is important in the IT industry, and getting certifications and obtaining job experience help you to focus on the specific area of expertise you want to eventually get into. My Bachelor’s degree is in Physics and Astronomy with a Master’s in Telecom Management. I got into networking shortly after finishing school focusing on Cisco certifications primarily. So from my experience, the subject matter is somewhat less important in university, while experience and certifications help you focus in on the topic of interest that you have.

So ultimately, what I would advise you is, get a university degree at all costs. It is a fundamental foundation upon which you will build your career and your life. If you’re not happy with the subject you’ve chosen, change it, see what else is out there, and find something you’ll love.

I hope this has been helpful!

Laz

1 Like
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Laz - this was excellent advice.

Regarding mathematics - learn all the math that you can - now that you are in school. Important thing is to break the subject down into small manageable chunks. Knowing the real world application is certainly helpful. Between YouTube and the web there are ton of very good resources to help you. If that doesn’t work find a tutor through your university.
I have an engineering background and I’m finding the math and physics I learned are very helpful in my ccnp studies. Even with that the ccnp for me is no walk in the park.

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Hello Laz.

Thank you so much for taking your time to explain all this. Just to be clear, I wasn’t looking for an excuse to skip university, I am trying to do the best for my career and for my future that’s why I’ve decided to confirm with you guys first as you are professionals and can judge the situation way better based off your own real-world experience.

I am glad that I can always ask here and get an answer, thank you guys!

David

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Hello David

I didn’t mean to suggest that you were looking for an excuse to skip university—my apologies! You seem like someone who has a good head on his shoulders and it is clear that you want to do the best for your future. The comment wasn’t directed at you but was a general thought to keep in mind.

I’m glad that I was able to help you!! Learning about networking is not just about technology, but also involves soft skills like communication, teamwork, analytical thinking, and emotional intelligence, all of which need to be addressed as well. And this forum is good for this too!

Laz

6

Hello

I understand, my mistake!

Thank you!

David

1 Like