On Nov 21, 2011, at 9:09 AM, Tyler Haske wrote: > I really appreciate the specific insights offered by Keegan and Valdis. > > - Linking me places to apply for jobs doesn't help. I'm aware of who is > considered Tier I, and how to find their website. > > - I'm in Kalamazoo Michigan, and I can commute up to 50 miles. I can't move > until I finish my Bachelors in Computer Networking. > > - The job market here is bad. > > - I do have a home lab. (Cisco equipment) > > 2 3350s > 2 2950s > 4 2611XMs. > > - This isn't merely a technical request. I'd like support in this endeavor, > from someone who's 'been there', to tell me things I CAN'T Google.
The problem is that even talking about commuting to grand rapids (next biggest city compared to kz, excluding bc) there aren't a lot of local places. There is a nice set of WISPs out there on the west side that may be interesting. There's a few interesting things to think about here: 1) The core space has gotten "less interesting" in recent years IMHO. While there are still cool things to do, there's more interesting ways to think about problems. 2) A multi-talented person is more useful than someone who thinks only about networking or hosts. This also comes with its own perils as you may not fit well in places that place you inside a box. 3) are you at WMU? Any openings there in the IT/Networking group? What about KVCC, or others? There used to be a more robust local community of ISPs out there (e.g.: net-link/corecomm/voyager). You may want to consider talking to the folks at Climax Telephone as well. They were doing some interesting things last I checked. Learn about the difference between purchasing and leasing. Understand the business side of the equation, not just the technical. These skills will bear fruit when you ask for hardware. Hope this helps some. The market does change quickly (but is becoming a bit slower in some ways) so do be prepared for the business constant of change. If you are unable to adapt to change, you will be left behind. - Jared
