A Network Engineer

ALEK: NETWORK ENGINEER

CAN YOU DESCRIBE A TYPICAL DAY ON THE JOB?

A typical day usually consists of monitoring and maintaining our current network taking on new cases from our clients and resolving any issues which arise. Even though the structure of the day is similar every case is different and needs specific troubleshooting so it's always dynamic. I spend a lot of time communicating with clients because it helps me better understand their problems.

In addition to the day-to-day tasks I also invest a lot of time in learning new technologies. There is always ongoing development in the network space so continuous learning is critical if you want to keep up. 

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE THIS CAREER? WHO OR WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO DO SO?

It first started with choosing a degree at uni. After doing a lot of research I decided to pursue an IT degree at uni because I knew that there will be a great demand for it in the future and job security and the outlook was important to me. 

While taking my uni courses I realised that network was most intriguing so I gave it a try and decided to stick to it. As a student I volunteered at a routing centre to get more practical experience and see what's it all like. 

WHAT WOULD YOU SAY ARE THREE KEY PERSONALITY TRAITS OR SKILLS THAT MAKE SOMEONE SUITED TO YOUR ROLE?

This may sound general but I think the three key personality traits or skills are:

• Curiosity - this is important because to get to the root of a network issue you need to be curious explore ask a lot of questions and think outside of the box. It is just how the process works.
• Communication skills - a lot of the work on improving or fixing networks is about communicating the issues as well as listening out for details. So speaking clearly and listening actively are essential in this business. 
• Analytical thinking - taking a methodical step-by-step approach to thinking and breaking down complex problems into single and manageable components is something we do here every day so it's also very important. 

WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED ABOUT YOURSELF THROUGH THE WORK THAT YOU DO?

I learned that having a sharp focus can take you far. Many people are distracted with so much going on in our world but having sharp focus and attention to detail helped me many times in this work. 

I also learned that I am very patient with clients and people in general. 

Most importantly I learned how to stay agile in stressful situations. When I started working I would get very stressed with demanding requests from clients deadlines or dealing with unknowns. Over time I learned how to deal with stress better which also helped in my personal life. 

WHAT'S BEEN YOUR BEST MOMENT AT WORK?

Our clients are sometimes companies but also different institutions such as hospitals. Sometimes network issues impact many people. So whenever  I resolve an issue in their network I directly help many people.

Even though such situations carry a lot of pressure I feel great relief and satisfaction knowing that I helped many people and met the client's needs. 

AND A DIFFICULT MOMENT?

I think I developed more resilience over the years. This means accepting that mistakes and challenges come and go and it's up to you to take and learn as much as possible from them. No one is immune to challenges we have to find ways to work with them. For me it is about accepting this moving on and focusing on the next steps and the bigger picture. 

HOW DO YOU KEEP GOING WHEN THINGS GET CHALLENGING?

I think I developed more resilience over the years. This means accepting that mistakes and challenges come and go and it's up to you to take and learn as much as possible from them. No one is immune to challenges we have to find ways to work with them. For me it is about accepting this moving on and focusing on the next steps and the bigger picture. 

ARE THERE ANY SURPRISES OR ODD THINGS THAT PEOPLE WOULDN'T EXPECT IF THEY PICKED THIS CAREER?

Well yes there has been a recent shift in the networking world. For example engineers are now learning basic programming skills to automate repetitive tasks. When I was a student just five years ago a network engineer was not expected to code; however it has now become essential. 

Also a lot of people think that working in IT is isolating and you never talk to people. The truth is the opposite in this profession you're working with people a lot and speaking to your team and the clients.

PLEASE SHARE A FUNNY OR WEIRD STORY ABOUT SOMETHING YOU EXPERIENCED IN YOUR ROLE.

There are always goofy day-to-day situations. However a particularly funny one was when we were checking our alarm system. Everyone panicked that the whole network went down but after a few hours we found out the alarm system was down and not the network. 

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO YOUNG PEOPLE PURSUING A CAREER IN THIS INDUSTRY?

Regardless of your degree and previous experience certification is critical in this space. Most of the certificates in demand can be found online such as Cisco AWS or Microsoft. 

Also it's important to keep learning constantly you're never done learning because there are always new technologies or processes. So you need to be a bit of a nerd for this.