During a recent training exercise in a non-production environment, I built a Cisco ISE virtual server using VMware vSphere and succeeded troubleshooting an issue, which demonstrates the value of this type of exercise. It also shows how important it is for network engineers to have clear priorities and keep their eye on the goals set for the task at hand.

In this exercise, the build of the virtual server gave me the option of using one of two datastores that we’ll call Datastore One and Datastore Two. It also provided the option of choosing from multiple ESXI host machines to launch the virtual server on, and we’ll designate them with letters such as Host A, Host B, etc. Some of the hosts could associate only with Datastore One, and the rest could associate only with Datastore Two.

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In today’s IT profession, how important are certifications? Do you need them to do your job, stay relevant, or receive a promotion? Or is on-the-job training enough?

Some IT professionals get certifications because they are required, some get them for monetary reasons, and some get them for their own personal growth. At work, it’s a big topic of discussion. Here’s my experience and what I decided.

When I began my IT career as a network engineer, I was unfamiliar with certifications, but getting the CompTIA Security+ certification was a requirement for my job because of the sensitivity of my work. By getting the certification I would know more about securing networks and keeping them secure. I had to try three times before passing the exam because I had to learn how to take the test, not because I hadn’t mastered the material. That taught me to stay relaxed and reread the questions during the exam, and it taught me that persistence pays off.  Obtaining the Security+ certification gave me a level of confidence that I could obtain more certifications, so I decided to try for the CompTIA Network+ certification to increase my knowledge base about networking.

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