Career swing towards "engineering" ?

Would it be possible to take and approve the CCNP exams without experience?? That is, my doubt lies in my ignorance of after all, why is it so important to have experience to move on to CCNP... I feel like I'm making an obvious question, but still, can't find the answer...
is it too much theory? the exams are separated, in 4 of them...
is it because of the practical gap experience/certification that will then get exposed at an interview or in professional responsabilities expected and achieved??


I've studied Telecomunications, did my course with more than average grades (7/10), don't consider myself a genius or such, but then I have the tendency to try to move in fast-forward in order to have a more "engineering" job... (again strikes the sensation that there is a simple answer very near me, that I cannot find)


Can someone help me on these doubts??

The truth is I really miss the "engineering" part of life, and I'm considering if enrolling towards a network carrer might be the solution... but then I see that even with the CCNA, you may have some dificulties in trying to find a professional job that may give your the oportunities of development that are needed in order to progress in networking...

Any comments are trully apreciated, as this is a subject of great importance... I'm really bored with mobile networks... everyday the same...


Thanks in advance

sspring88

When you say you are considering work with a network carrier does that mean working in providing the cabling infrastructure ? If this is the case, I know in the UK at least, there is a very big move going on right now with upgrading circuits to homes aiming toward digitalisation providing fiber to the roadside then running on copper to the house. I know companies like BT are looking for cabling engineers as it is sucha huge project. They also have to transfer 1.5m circuits to other companies as ordered by Oftel.

On the ccna/ccnp side, that is a network engineer who typically has a cabling company provide the main infrastructure and then they handle building and optimizing the network and equipment within their organisation providing whatever services are required.

In between those two are installation engineers that hook up the cabling into the organisation installing routers/adsl/isdn/etc upto the demarcation point.

What sort of engineering do you mean ?