How to get into Network Administration?

Brian21156

I need some help. I am stuck in a dead end Tech support role with no promotion prospects or career progression as I work for an agency. I want to move into Network Administration. I have an IT degree and I am currently working on getting my MCPs.

I am finding it extremely hard to get any offers or replies for any jobs I have applied to. When I do get a response it is usually "We are not proceeding with my appliciation." I have found a very nice recruitment agency to deal with who are as baffled by lack of responses as they think my CV is good enough to get interviews at least.I don't really have much experience in Admin which I think is my problem.

Anybody got any ideas/suggestion oh how to get into Network Administration?

seamus

Believe it or not, there's quite a jump from tech support to Systems Admin (any type of systems).
Your best bet is to get out of call centres. I don't know what you're doing now, but most jobs where you spend most of your day on the phone talking to customers, in a team of more than twenty, have poor prospects when it comes to climbing the ladder.
Find a company where you won't be supporting external clients. Find a role where you're purely internal support for that company's staff. If you've been in a call centre, they'll take you on as a senior tech. Because you're internal support, you'll become familiar with the company's network, familiar with the overall setup. As you're there longer, you'll be given more odd jobs to do, perhaps even some servers to take care of. Eventually someone in the network team leaves, and you hop into their position.

You want a role where you spend the bulk of your time supporting the very network which you want to administer. If you're a Dell tech (for example), supporting random people's home PCs and small office networks, you're no more use to Dell's internal network team than someone off the street, because you know little to nothing about Dell's network.

You'll also find it much easier to crack into Admin by aiming for smaller companies. Larger companies tend to hire certified people with good experience and who know what they're doing, because they can afford it.
Smaller companies will be more willing to hire someone who's intelligent but not necessarily fully qualified because they're cheaper.

leeroybrown

Brian21156 wrote:

I have found a very nice recruitment agency to deal with who are as baffled by lack of responses as they think my CV is good enough to get interviews at least.I don't really have much experience in Admin which I think is my problem.

Have someone who works in Network/Systems Administration (and knows something about it) look over your CV. I've seen CV's where people trap themselves with poorly worded statements that make them look unqualified. Also, someone who knows the area well should be able to tell you what skills are missing from your CV that you could brush up on and what skills you should emphasise more.

highwaywoman

I'd consider doing one of the fas ecollege courses in networking:
http://www.fas-netcollege.com/html/courses/networking/cisco/cisco.htm

They seem good, are cheap, and will prepare you for the official Cisco exams if you want to sit them. At a minimum, you'll know exactly what your talking about re networks, and your confidence alone will help in an interview. You can do it all at home via the net.

Good luck.

Brian21156

Thanks for the information. It is much appreciated.