I am 45 years of age and I have decided to get Cisco certification and find an IT job so I can get out of my current go-nowhere warehouse job. I have given myself 3 years to accomplish this. I will be 48 years of age when I start pounding the pavement with a resume in hand job-hunting. What do you think of my prospects? I don't have a whole lot of expectations of moving up the company/pay ladder once I get the job. I have a sense of my limitations age- and experience-wise. I would be happy with an entry level job doing more of the labor side of the job like pluggin in cables and lifting/moving routers and stuff like that. It's a foot in the door and if I do well then good, if not I will be happy just as well. What do you think? AM I being unrealistic? Are there networking related jobs that are more geared toward the labor side of the field rather than the more technical network monitoring and upkeep? What are their job-titles?

best wishes,

sk34

That sounds doable. First, there are plenty of jobs in the IT industry that are more labor-oriented; larger companies almost always have teams dedicated to physical IT infrastructure upkeep; plugging in cables, remote hands, racking servers, installing phones, etc. What they're called sort of depends on the organization, but "technician" would be a term to keep an eye out for I'd say.

If you put your mind to it you can easily acquire the knowledge to pass an entry-level Cisco exam like the CCNA. Having a CCNA would be a really good place to start for any sort of entry-level IT position.

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Use your current "go-nowhere warehouse" job has a starting point. I don't know where you are located and the type of warehouse it is, but if it's anything like the warehousing and distribution centres that make up the transport/logistic hub (road, rail and air) a couple of kms of from me (Perth, Western Australia) then they are all very hi-tech. There's automation and wireless systems for order-picking and pallet/container tracking and stock/materials handling - all kinds of networking providing all kinds of services - think beyond common data networks. The operational, management and security systems at these places are amazing!

So I'd suggest that you grow your current "industry" knowledge as you develop your networking skills and practice - that way when you do get that CCNA cert you are not pounding the pavements without purpose, you have ideas and a context to your networking. You never know, you may end up at your current employer biut in a smarter role!

3 years for CCNA is very doable. But if you can find a local college/school here http://cisco.netacad.net/cnams/locators/LocatorMain.jsp that is a Cisco Networking Academy that offers evening classes then you should be able to clear the CCNA in in 1 year - you'll get labs and theory plus do extra well in the last exam and you could get yourself a 50% discount off the cost of the cert exam!

And get yourself on LinkedIn - the savvier recruiters are looking there these days - it's all about (human) networking.

Oh, and don't worry about the age thing - I have 16 to 60 years olds in my networking classes.

Aubrey

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The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn. Alvin Toffler, "Future Shock" 1970

Thank much for the responses. I am motivated for the battle ahead!

I started with 27. Before I was a mailman. My actual job is by far better that walking all the day delivering letters.

Just give it a try.

There are definitely networking related jobs that are more geared toward the labor side of the field, the job title would usually be "Field Technician" and they are generally hired at larger enterprises, Data Center, and ISP where they can afford/require the specialist. I am not sure how most of them got their start but I think cabling (esp. optical for current but not sure about the future) would be an important skill set to have.

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Go for it,

I am 43 this year and getting ready for the R&S lab. I do not work directly in the field of infrastructure, but hey who cares
If its your passion then get right into it. If its just money forget it. Be prepared for the snobbery anywhere i look for a job there a few well oiled excuses not to give you one.

1) Errr sorry you have no experience. ( i understand that i just want to get a start)
2) The cultural fit, this is used when, you have been at there site and fixed something on there network or proved there configuration is wrong. When you ask if there are any jobs. Excuse cultural fit of we do it through an agency, what this means is, shit no way you know more than me and will have my job in a few months. By the way one customer actually did say this to me

Thats some of the excuses i have heard. Anyways i still get a giggle when i am there looking at a printer they can not get networked and introduced as the technician or the copier guy. (who just smacked your ass)

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There is no Motivation like self Motivation.

Remember if you worry you die, if you don't worry you still die.

Awesome, man, awesome! A fellow 'over-the-hiller' ! It's partially money but I plan to squeeze a whole lot of passion out of meself given my current desperation.

Best wishes,

sk34