Chapter 5
Getting the Necessary Education and Training
Many learning opportunities are available for people who want to get into networking. The choices you make will depend on several factors, including the following:
A good educational foundation is essential for entry into the information technology profession, and a steady intake of continuing education is essential from then on.
The purpose of this chapter is to provide you with the options, so you can decide how to get from where you are now to where you want to be. Because the title of this book is “Getting a Networking Job For Dummies,” not “Getting a Networking Job For Dummies Who Have an Associate's Degree from a Community College and Are Trying to Decide Their Major,” we want to list all the options so you can decide what is right for you. In other words, this books examines a range of job scenarios which may or may not apply to your particular situation.
A good education in networking and the status associated with a particular mode of education are not necessarily related. You can get an excellent technical education from a correspondence school that advertises on late-night infomercials if you are motivated and the teachers know their information.
Off-the-Record Training
Abraham Lincoln went to school only until he was 10 years old. Then he read a lot of books. Now he's on the penny and the $5 bill. See what you can do if you are diligent?
If you can do the job, most employers will overlook how you got there. If selfpaced, self-guided education is your style of learning, you have many options for learning about computer networking.
Studying with self-direction
Lots of books can teach you about networking. Because you have a natural affinity for Dummies books, here are a few examples from that series:
There are also Dummies books associated with attaining many important networking certifications. (For more on certifications, see Chapter 6.) It is wishful thinking to believe that you could pass a hands-on test purely by reading a book. At the same time, you can learn a great deal of practical knowledge simply by reading the books. A few examples of these Dummies books on passing networking certifications follow:
There are rumors that some other publishing companies offer technical books on networking. It is entirely possible, but they won't have a yellow cover or Dummies in the title.
On-the-job training
The guild method of learning a trade is the ancient process of a protégé following a mentor. It seems quaint in modern days, particularly when we're talking about high technology, but it is an effective and low-cost way to start in a new field. The first challenge is finding someone who would be willing to mentor you. The next challenge is finding a company that is willing to pay you while you're duplicating the job of another employee.
A lot of a mentor's job is spent on routine administrative tasks, as long as the network is running smoothly. If the network starts sliding sideways, it's best to step back and wait to ask questions at a more convenient time. Closely watching your mentor during a full network disruption is a golden opportunity to understand what goes on when managing networks and to learn how to make things work.
If you find yourself with a mentor, here are some suggestions on how to take full advantage of the situation:
Viewing prerecorded college courses
The other end of the spectrum from shadowing a network expert is the new high-tech way of learning: taking online courses about networking topics. It seems consistent and logical to learn about data networking on a data network.
One scenario is to access online courses. These are regular college courses that include lectures, problem sets, notes, and tests. The lectures are recorded and available as videos. There are also a range of documents, including the syllabus, lecture notes, tests, and the final. These classes are usually recent, so the examples are timely.
The institutions of higher learning that participate are not off-brand colleges or diploma mills. How do MIT, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and the University of Michigan sound to you?
These institutions are just a sampling. You can find many other organizations that offer comparable courses on computer networking.
You can view and download the course material, but the intellectual property is not yours. Plus, you don't get any credit for taking the course. (You can still wear the school sweatshirt, put the little sticker in the back window of your car, and donate to the alumni organization).
You may be able to officially take a course online in pursuit of a certificate or a degree. This possibility is in the “Learning Networking through Higher Education” section, later in the chapter.
Let's say that you've been working with computers for a while now, but you want to start at the beginning to make sure that you have a solid understanding of the theoretical side of computers and networking.
You poke around the Internet and find that the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) offers its introductory computer science class online. Here's how to sign up to the MIT introductory course, Computer Science 101:
- Go to
http://ocw.mit.edu/index.htm.A page like the one shown in Figure 5-1 appears. Note the prominent donation icons. It's almost like you are an MIT alumnus already!
Figure 5-1: The MIT Open Courseware home page.
- In the search field, type Introduction to Computer Science and then press Enter.
The results screen shown in Figure 5-2 appears.
Figure 5-2: Search results.
- Click the 6.00 Introduction to Computer Science link.
The course description shown in Figure 5-3 appears.
From this page, you can access the lecture videos, the assignments, the exams and tests, a course transcript, and links to obtain the textbook. You can also click the Download Course Material link to get the whole shebang at once.
You can now view the lectures and read the material at your own pace. If you have questions, you can join a study group from this page. What could be easier?
Figure 5-3 CS 6.0 Introduction to Computer Science and Programming home page.
Learning through Higher Education
The most convenient time to decide on a career in computer networking is when you enter college. If you happen to be reading this book before you complete your college applications, consider yourself lucky. You may have been considering majoring in Art History without realizing that computer networking is your real calling.
Undergraduate and graduate degrees in management information systems, computer science, information technology, and similar subjects have been offered for decades. More recently, many colleges and universities are offering degree programs in computer networking. Colleges and universities also offer continuing education programs in information technology and security.
Undergraduate programs
Universities around the world offer undergraduate degrees in information technology — too many to list in this book, and that's a good thing. You can probably find a university near you that offers a degree in information technology.
A number of majors have similar sounding names but a slightly different emphasis:
Note that there is significant overlap among these majors and all have a role in networking.
Hiring managers are typically eager to hire any of these titles if you're sincere about your interest of working in networking and for that particular company. Because the degrees mentioned are at the undergraduate level, most prospective employers want to make sure that you're skilled in technology but also have a variety of elective classes and extracurricular activities to ensure that you are a well-rounded individual.
Technical skills may be the focus in the interview, but employers are hesitant to hire individuals who are too narrow to thrive in the culture of their company. For more on this subject, see Chapter 17.
Your best long-term strategy should include the completion of an undergraduate degree in a technical field. The more college education you have, the more opportunities for jobs and career growth.
For your convenience, Table 5-1 lists the US News and World Report ranking of top computer programs. You may have noticed that tuition (shown for the 2014–2015 school year) is not cheap. In spite of the high cost, many of these schools turn away more than nine out of ten applicants.
Table 5-1 US News and World Report Ranking of Colleges
The value of a college degree
The advantage of a formal university education is that you have the opportunity to immerse yourself in information technology and really live and breathe it. Additionally, companies and the federal government are actively and heavily recruiting from university programs dealing with information technology. Internships are also available, and the major consulting companies are looking for individuals with some skill in the field.
The disadvantages? Getting a college degree is costly and time-consuming, and can be especially difficult if you're not in a position to go back to school full time. Thankfully, programs are available that accommodate those with a job and family life, but it's a considerable investment in time and resources regardless.
G.S., Seattle
Graduate degrees
Many universities offer graduate-level degrees in networking. A graduate degree will help you compete for advanced positions in companies. Many middle- and upper-management jobs in IT departments require an advanced degree.
Formal study at an online university
We talked about taking a class online previously. How about earning a certificate or a full degree at an online university? Not that long ago, there was a stigma attached to online universities. The idea of earning a useful degree from a website on the Internet instead of in a lecture hall was beyond the comprehension of many. This attitude is largely evaporating as more prestigious names in higher education offer online courses.
That said, here are the considerations that generate debate:
Given this background on the kinds of online courses, there are three scenarios for online instruction:
Following are some questions to ask to help you determine which scenario is best for you:
After you decide which scenario works for you, read on for information on the options.
Nonprofit online degree-granting institutions
A number of established colleges and universities offer degrees to students who may never travel to their ivy-covered buildings. Students can earn their degree and never set foot on the same continent as their alma mater. Some examples include the following:
This is just a sampling. Many other organizations offer comparable courses on computer science and computer engineering.
Keep the following in mind. First, these are full degrees. The diploma doesn't indicate that the degree was earned online. Also, acceptance into these programs is as competitive as nononline programs. You need the right credentials, test scores, and references to be accepted.
Finally, tuition is the same as if you were on campus. There is no discount associated with eliminating the wear and tear that you would have put on the university buildings. In fact, some universities charge a technology fee of about $100 per course to take it online. Online students are just as eligible as other students for financial aid.
Earning a degree or certificate from a for-profit school
The University of Phoenix is the largest and best-known for-profit online degree-granting institution. DeVry University and Capella University are two other companies that offer fully-accredited degrees when you complete the required courses.
Chances are you didn't know that the three schools mentioned are for-profit companies. They are respectively owned by Apollo Group (NASDAQ: APOL), DeVry Education Group (NYSE: DV), and Capella Education Company (NASDAQ: CPLA). For most of us, it doesn't matter because for-profit schools must be price competitive with the nonprofits. Your concern should be deciding which certificate or degree is best for you. Most people in networking pursue either computer science or computer engineering.
There are two important considerations for for-profit schools. First, most are taught by industry professionals, not academics. Instruction in networking benefits from both theoretical and practical knowledge. An instructor with years of experience addressing real-world networking issues can be as effective an instructor as an MIT computer science department head.
An education from a for-profit college
The rest of my family went to prestigious colleges and universities. I did not like the structure in high school, and the structure in college would not have been a good experience — for them or me.
My family cringed when I told them I was pursuing my degree from DeVry. However, I found that the instructors knew more about the real world. Since they worked with an industry, they were always eager to show how things really worked. My education propelled me to success.
I.P., Seattle
Another consideration is that acceptance into a program is more straightforward. For example, you simply need your high school diploma or GED and enough funds to pursue a bachelor's degree.
Some look down on schools with modest admission standards. Perhaps a more enlightened perspective is to look at the graduates of such programs as having taken the initiative to become successful.
A large percentage of students enrolled in these programs do not graduate, but there is no reason to hold this against students who do graduate. In fact, it should demonstrate that the students who graduate are motivated and would tend to make better employees.
A high dropout rate used to indicate a rigorous education. For example, the rate of dropout from the Navy Seal program is over 90 percent. According to a New York Times report, the dropout rate at the University of Phoenix online program is 95 percent. By comparison, only 6 percent of Cornell University-College of Engineering freshman don't graduate within five years.
Signing up with a MOOC-oriented accredited school
Still another option for an online degree is an organization that offers massively open online courses (MOOCs). For our purposes, we call these MOOC-oriented accredited schools.
These organizations offer lower tuition because of their large class size. They tend to be nonprofit and proud of it. Some can be somewhat antagonistic to traditional educational institutions, while others were founded by existing schools.
All incorporate lectures from well-respected institutions of higher education. Adding to the confusion is that many established schools have adopted the MOOC technology for online classes but have not adopted the MOOC business model.
The following are examples of MOOC-oriented accredited schools:
Figure 5-4 shows a dashboard of a student working on a computer science degree from World Mentoring Academy.
These classes should look familiar to anyone who has pursued technical classes at another educational institution.
Adult education
Chances are, we did not catch you at that golden opportunity when you're deciding your major. You may have your undergraduate degree in textile design and fashion merchandising, but now you want a job other than refolding sweaters at the J. Crew at the local mall.
Figure 5-4: Dashboard for a World Mentoring Academy computer science major.
Continuing education is the practice of continually obtaining training courses to expand one's knowledge and skills. In the computer networking profession, continuing education is essential to our success for several reasons:
Many colleges and universities have certificate programs designed for working professionals who have their undergraduate degree. Often, these are evening or weekend programs, and many are offered online, which gives you a wider choice. Examples of these certificates include the following:
Check local educational institutions and online resources to see if they offer a certificate program that might interest you. There is a charge for tuition, but there are lots of ways to get funding; sometimes an employer will pay for this education or a union will pay for the continuing education of one of its members. Also, some religious organizations may be willing to help.
Pursuing a Nontraditional Education
There are a number of alternatives besides traditional educational venues for learning networking skills. We describe two in this section.
Military education
Today's military organizations still have their traditional weapons: guns, warships, submarines, fighter planes, and bombers. These large organizations also require a lot of information technology to support their warriors. They have an army (or boatload) of trained networking experts to keep the information flowing.
Military organizations train many of their personnel in different facets of networking. Most internal networks in military organizations use the same technologies as commercial networks, so most of the skills learned while in the military will translate directly into private sector or public sector jobs.
Examples of military training in information security follow:
Many people assume that the military is primarily made up of warriors, but a large number of enlisted personnel and officers are responsible for support functions. Besides getting to wear some nice uniforms, these individuals are paid to take classes and gain experience with modern telecommunications technology.
The military provides opportunities for personnel to earn college credits on most bases while on active duty.
For-profit training companies
The shortage of properly trained professionals in the computer networking field has attracted a number of organizations that now train people in computer technology, including computer networking. In general, these organizations do not confer degrees. Depending on your ambition and your ego, not getting a formal degree is either a no-go or no problem. What matters is the reputation of the organization and the information you receive.
Following are some of the leading training companies:
The courses from these organizations tend to focus on helping students complete a certification in a technical area. For more on certifications, see Chapter 6.
Maintaining Your Networking Knowledge
While you're dutifully doing your job, those pesky computer scientists and engineers at the networking vendors are improving their products, making your skills obsolete. The updated version of the English proverb is “time and tide wait for no person.” You'll need to pursue some continuing education if you want to remain effective in the networking space.
The tried-and-true method in the networking community is to pursue a certification. Chapter 6 describes the different kinds of certification, which range from simple to exclusive.
Some of the more basic certifications focus on knowledge that does not evolve quickly. These certifications, which are the exception, are a valid way to get started on the certification track.
Most certifications recognize that technology changes, so you must retake the exam every few years to retain the ability to claim that you have a given certification.
Besides earning a certification, you can keep your knowledge fresh in a few other ways: