What makes a good Network Engineer ?

Well, the CCNA isn't really meant for an engineer level position. It focuses mostly on technologies you'll come into contact with in a smaller business network environment. Luckily, it is getting to be a more hands on certification, if you look at CCNA prep materials from about 5 years ago, you'll see a big difference in the amount of stuff you'll need to know now. At the CCNP level is when you start to learn things a network engineer will deal with more -- advanced routing and switching, quality of service, remote access, etc. And of course these topics require quite a bit of lab time.

Anyways, I think d_jabsd's point is that you can pass the CCNA without much hands on experience, but the CCNP will be much more difficult to do that.

"First and foremost- Passion. You have to love it to do well at it. If you don't love it, don't bother. The dotcom era is over and the pay scale is no longer high enough to 'learn it so you can make big cash.'"

"At the end of the day, you really have to live it... its not just a job... its what you do -your employer may change, but the mentality won't."

Reading this post by d_jabsd really hits home for me and is very true, especially in regards to the points mentioned in the quotes above. I've slowly come to realize just recently that this is true for me and would explain why I'm not doing well in my CCNA studies. The problem with me is that I really don't love it enough to play the "catch up game" (as I call it) all the time. Not interested. During my studies, I discovered just how much technology moves all the time and decided that it moved too fast for my liking. I wouldn't be doing anything else in life (as I have other priorities) than reading about the latest and greatest. There are those who love it and there are those who use it, but don't care as much about the how. I guess I'm discovering that I fall into the latter group.

As d_jabsd mentions, I don't have the passion for the topic itself. In fact, I knew nothing about networking or much about computers prior to taking my classes at my local community college. I thought I'd be interested because I enjoyed being around and working with computers, but the two are far different things. I've come to realize now, sadly, that I'm just not passionate about the subject. I'd just be studying and reading up on it because I had to, not because I found a real interest for it. For anyone out there new to it, don't kid yourself - make sure you are passionate about the subject. Otherwise, you'll hate your job, yourself and plus - you won't be good at it anyways if you don't love it.

My $.02

What I see it comes down to is your ambition. If you want to be the "top dog" at a company, or the only dog at a smaller company.. You have to live it, love it.. hell you have to BE IT. But like many professions there are positions at all levels up and down the spectrum. There are plenty of companies that need network people who aren't "TCP/IP Rockstarts". People who understand the technology to a certain point and can work under the "Rockstar/Sr. Network Eng.

Don't get me wrong... You still need to be technically curious and have a desire to better yourself. Its goint to be a lifelong project, but I don't think it has to take over your life. Beyond that if you -like- it and don't mind putting in some extra work around the edges, there is a med level position for you.

I had real good view of this with the managers at the bank...
Do you want to manage a team, or 5 managers and there teams, or a whole division, or the whole building... First level managers go home to there spouces and have bbq's with friends, while The Director of Operations is working late, taking calls on the ride home, then reading emails before bed.

In my current position i work under a CCIE level network eng. But he relies on me having a certain level of knowledge so he can just assign tasks and not have to follow up. "Put in this summary route here and make sure its working. Granted I'm using this position to further my knowledge, and eventurlly get a better position. But there is no reason someone couldn't keep this position.

Thanks for the post toddwoo. I guess I forget, going into this, that it doesn't have to take over your life. I guess the only example that I know of is the network admin I observed last summer. I was still deciding if I wanted to go into networking and so I watched and discussed with him his experience. It did seem to take up a big portion of his life that I did wonder when he ever got to see his wife and kids. Therefore, I guess it's not that I don't have ambition, but just not looking to be a "workaholic".

BTW, I do have a post that I want to make in reply to my situation, but I'll make that a new post subject so look for it. I wouldn't mind your input, as well as others here.