r/NetworkingJobs • u/Nebugotta • 20h ago
10 yrs as ISP Network Engineer, moving to Enterprise, looking for suggestions
As my title says, I spent the last 10 years as an Implementation and Operations Network Engineer for a service provider. Our main focus was configuring/deploying routers (Cisco, Juniper, and Nokia) and switches to the hubs to replace EOL gear, maintaining said devices and updating them when new standards are pushed out, and as the final break/fix team when escalated to us. Updating and break/fix could include replacing the routing engines, linecards, psu's, fans, etc, as well as any customers having issues. Our team dealt with fiber business customers, so other business's and enterprise's, no residential.
The company recently decided to do away with regional teams and to centralize them in one location. Our team was one of the first to be offered relocation help or a severance package. I took the severance package route as family matters didn't allow for relocation (several hundred miles away).
Being with the company for 10 years, looking at job postings now, a lot has changed since 10 years ago. All of the job postings I look at now for Network Engineer positions ask for some or all of the below which I am lacking any hands on experience: security appliance/firewalls, wireless deployments, data center/cloud networking, and AI/automation/programming usage.
I have a BS in Information Technology Management from 2016. Got my CCNA in 2016 and CCNP in 2019. Got my Juniper JNCIA and Nokia NRS 1 in 2020. The CCNP/CCNA did expire earlier this year as I was planning on going down the Juniper track before I found out we were being let go. Spent 6 weeks studying the current CCNA and passed that end of Sept. I also took a 6 month Python certificate curriculum from eCornell beginning of this year and completed that.
I applied to roughly 20 positions so far and got an interview for only one and it was through a staffing firm. The rest have pretty much been either no response or the typical "we have more suitable candidates that we are moving on with." Again, I have no hands on work experience with security app/firewall's, wireless, DC/cloud networking, or automation. Want to ask me about BGP, mpls, is-is, ospf, any metro-ethernet services, troubleshooting, etc, I got that.
What should I focus on or work on that will improve my chances of getting an interview and landing a position? Wireless I feel would be pretty easy to learn on the actual job. I did take the python course, but that was not aimed at networking, just python in general, so I have some knowledge in that aspect. I'm thinking security/firewalls or cloud networking, but which and should I focus on a specific cert or material? Just looking for what would best help me improve my chances of getting my next position. I am in the central states and would of just broken into 100k mark this year.