The networking industry is moving at a rapid pace. How does one keep up with all the changes and decide which resources should be used to stay updated? How can one focus on certification studies while staying updated on new technologies?
My stance is that you must learn the basics before moving on to more advanced topics. You need to understand routing and switching and basic TCP/IP before you can understand topics like overlays, Software Defined WAN (SD-WAN), and other advanced topics. If you aren’t already at this level where you have at least a CCNA-level understanding of these topics, then your focus should be on building that foundation on which your career will stand. However, if you already have a strong foundation, then your focus should be a bit different. Future job roles are evolving, but that does not mean that there isn’t a need for experts in routing and switching or other technologies. What it does mean is that you need to decide if you want to be an expert or more of a generalist. Many companies are trying to break down the silos of different engineering teams, meaning that you as a network engineer may have to understand basic storage and virtualization technologies and application flows not just plain networking.
Studying for a certification and staying up-to-date with new technologies can be tough. My goal with a certification is always to build skills. The paper saying I’m certified does not hold much value unless I feel comfortable that I do have the skills that are tested on the exam. That means that when I study for a certification, I don’t do the minimum required to pass. I study to know the topics at a depth that I think one should have when passing that certification. While it’s important to stay focused on your studies, you can’t ignore the rest of the industry while studying, either, so how does one combine them both? Pick a few resources that you monitor for articles, podcasts, and blog posts. Even when studying, it can be nice to have a small break and focus on something else, or you could read 10 minutes every morning or evening. You could also listen to a podcast while on a commute or while taking a walk. Be careful to not overwhelm yourself, though; you do still need to disconnect every now and then so you don't get burned out.
What resources are good, then, for staying updated in the networking industry? As always, it depends, but I would still like to recommend some resources that I personally use to stay updated in the industry. There are industry publications such as Network Computing, Network World, SDX Central and Light Reading. The articles on these publications are often light weight and only take a few minutes of reading. Another great resource is the Cisco Live presentations, which are freely available. If you find a technology that interests you, try searching for it at the Cisco Live website. There are both PDFs and videos available. Skimming through the PDFs is a good way of getting a quick introduction to something. Then, we also have blogs -- find a few that you like and maybe use a RSS reader to get an update when the blog updates. Tom Hollingsworth has a good one, and Tom and Steve Foskett run the Networking Field Day (NFD), which is another good way of getting updates from different vendors. There are also other conferences out there such as NANOG, RIPE, and a lot more. My final advice would be to follow prominent people at Twitter such as Tom, Steve, Wendell Odom, and many more. You can learn a lot from just seeing what people are tweeting about.
The goal of this post is not to add more stress to your life. Trust me; I know how stressful things may already be for you. However, to build a successful career, you should set aside some time to stay updated in the industry. Either spend a little time every day or pick a day each week that you catch up on recent events. Good luck in your studies and in your career!
