* Enter to win some fabulous Network World prizes
Today, some career-related gems that were recently published within the pages of NetworkWorld.com, plus details of a competition to win a free Cisco training course delivered by Cisco authorized training partner Skyline-ATS, and a giveaway of 15 copies of Cisco Press’ latest book “CCNA Official Exam Certification Library“. Read on …
CCNP or a wireless certifications?
A Network World reader who holds a Cisco Certified Network Associate certificate and has just finished a post grad. certificate in wireless communications, wrote to Nutter’s Help Desk asking whether they should train for the Cisco Certified Network Professional designation or get a wireless certification.
Ron Nutter, suggested that the reader look in local papers and at job boards such as CareerBuilder and Monster to gauge what certifications are in demand. But he cautioned that having too many certifications could cause the reader to be consider “overqualified” by some recruiters, though it wouldn’t necessarily be trued that the reader would be “too qualified”. Click here for more of Ron’s advice.
Blog your way to your next job
If you’re a regular reader of technology blogs you’ll know that some writers can be both educational and engaging. You could probably sense if the blogger has the skills and the personality that would fit your workplace. Well, in a sense, a blog could be your regular updated resume that could be seen by prospective employers. According to Rebecca Foreman, VP at executive recruiting service firm Polachi, blogs are an excellent way to highlight your personal interests, which could help tip the balance between whether or not you’re contacted by headhunters with certain jobs they need to fill. In a story by CIO Magazine, Foreman gives an example of a position that needed to be filled at Segway. Foreman searched blogs by IT pros who have a passion for transportation, such as interests in bicycling or Harleys. It’s that kind of information that you may not include in your resume but you would in your blog. The CIO article gives some best practices for keeping blogs.
Chat with an IT recruiter
2 p.m. – 3 p.m. EDT, Tuesday, Oct. 9
The IT job market and you with Matt Colarusso
What will happen in the IT job market in the months to come? What should you do to manage your own career? How hard will it be for your department to fill vacancies? Certifications versus degrees; hot job skills and weak ones — Colarusso, an acclaimed national IT recruiting expert, will answer these questions for you and more. Colarusso is branch manager of the Sapphire National Recruiting & Strategic Accounts Team responsible for $12.5M in annual revenue.
Sysadmins are jacks-of-all-trades
In a small company, a system administrator is a jack-of-all-trades, installing, upgrading, monitoring and maintaining software and hardware to keep IT operations humming. Large organizations could have dozens of sysadmins each maintaining specific areas of IT. A story by Juan Carlos Perez of the IDG New Service notes that sysadmins are experts in the nuts-and-bolts of the company’s IT engine, carrying out essential day-to-day tasks to prevent problems and improve systems’ performance. As such, sysadmins should stay on top of the fast and constant technology changes affecting the company’s systems. Sysadmins should have a minimum of three to five years of experience, with higher-level positions perhaps demanding a bachelor’s degree in computer science, a two-year degree from a technical institute or a specific vendor certification. Common certifications are Cisco Certified Network Associate and Cisco Certified Network Professional. Average salaries for sysadmins range between $65,000 and $85,000, according to the story. Read the full story here and join in the discussion about sysadmins with your fellow readers here.
September competition giveaways
Talking of Cisco certifications, Network World’s Cisco Subnet site has launched three not-to-miss competitions for the month of September only:
Enter to win “CCNA Official Exam Certification Library”:
To celebrate this month’s Cisco Subnet guest blogger, respected Cisco trainer and author Wendell Odom, we’ve secured 15 copies of the complete “CCNA Official Exam Certification Library (CCNA Exam 640-802), 3rd Edition“, to give away. The library publishes Sept. 7 and includes information about Cisco’s recently updated CCNA course material and exams. The library includes:
* Two books: “CCENT/CCNA ICND1 Official Exam Certification Guide, Second Edition“, and “CCNA ICND2 Official Exam Certification Guide“.
* Two CD-ROMs that are electronic copies of the books and 400 practice questions for the full CCNA, ICND1, and ICND2 exams.
* Two bonus DVDs that contain more than 60 minutes of personal video instruction from the author.
Enter to win a free Cisco training course
Wendell Odom leads many Cisco courses at Skyline-ATS, and one lucky Cisco Subnet winner will be able to choose any course delivered by Skyline to attend for free, up to a value of $3,495.
Show us your home lab, win a prize
Just for fun, we also have a competition for the best home lab. Inspired by the (mostly negative) comments about the $2.3 million home lab of Scott Morris, quadruple CCIE, we’re challenging our readers to put their money where their mouths are and tell us why their home labs are better. You don’t have to have $2.3 million worth of equipment in your own basement, just a smartly configured test lab that serves you very well. Your lab could win you the fabulous top prize:
* A copy of Jeff Doyle’s “Routing TCP/IP Volume II” book.Networking-Forum.com. View the t-shirt here.
* A t-shirt courtesy of
* A Network World branded gift.
10 runners-up will each receive the Network World branded gift.
Go here for more details of the home lab competition.
