Career Advice for Network Engineers

 Information is power. Thus, organizations must manage their data well to remain trustworthy and competitive. Organizations must build and access networks that make them share information efficiently. They need network engineers to make this dream possible. Network engineers enable day-to-day communication between people, organizations, agencies, and governments. Consequently, they must master their skills to perform well, lest they wreak havoc in a world that highly depends on them.

Demand for Network Engineers

The world is increasingly digitized, and there is a crucial need for better communication within and outside organizations and communities. This phenomenon has created a massive demand for network engineers. Unfortunately, the number of network engineers available is far less than the market demand. The gap between the demand and supply of network engineers continues to grow daily. Therefore, if you are a diploma in Network Enterprise Engineering student, know that the world is earnestly waiting for your services.

Toronto currently has the fastest-growing market for Information Technology (IT) jobs globally. It has displaced the revered Bay Area (Silicon Valley) from this position. Montreal and Ottawa are among the top 15 cities with the fastest-growing IT job markets. They ranked 14th and 13th, respectively.

This rapid growth in IT job markets challenges and worries employers because their demand for network engineers and other IT talents is high, yet their availability is dangerously low. This situation is good news if you have IT skills, such as network engineering. It allows you to select the best employer from a list of several employer options. You only must choose the one that provides you with suitable work conditions.

Areas Of Operations

Usually, the company that hires you determines your job description as a network engineer. Below are the two familiar roles or job designations one can get upon attaining employment as a network engineer.

1. Computer Network Maintenance

In this role, network engineers ensure that all devices (servers, computers, printers, etc.) in a network communicate and share resources. They create and maintain fast connections between devices and prevent possible disruptions and downturns in the system. Network engineers maintain contact with network users because they help you monitor the network’s performance. They also have contacts with outside vendors so that they collaborate with them to solve network problems from their side.

1. Network design

Network engineers are designers and builders of networks. Thus, some employers/clients may hire them to design their networks. Network engineers create a system design that matches the client’s/employer’s budget for the design and the physical layout of your employer/client’s building. They create a Wide Area Network if their employer or organization occupies multiple buildings.

Understand the Industry

No industry is more versatile and ever-evolving than the IT industry. Today, automation is becoming more predominant in this industry. This occurrence calls upon network engineers to shift their approach to work and learn new skills. If they do this, their work will change, and automation will not displace them. Here is what they must do to remain relevant in the industry.

1. Learn Linux

Networks engineers usually focus on closed, uniform operating systems like Cisco IOS. However, times have changed. We have several new operating systems built in Linux, like Nexus OS, Arista, and Cumulus Networks. This occurrence shows that networking is inclining towards Linux philosophy. Network engineers should start learning Linux now.

1. Learn to Program

Network engineers need to move beyond designing and maintaining networks. They need to understand their network systems by knowing the language facilitating device communication. They should enrol in Python classes or PowerShell classes to gain a deep understanding of network communication.

1. Adopt a continuous improvement philosophy

The tech world is changing every day. Anybody who is deeply entrenched in it should be on the lookout. Network engineers should learn about new developments like hypervisor technology. They must collaborate with their peers and engage them in computing, networking, and security projects so that they learn from them.

Conclusion

The job of a network engineer is demanding. There is also a huge demand for it that make it compensate well. However, increasing automation of network engineering work threatens network engineers slightly. Network engineers should know that they are irreplaceable so long as they continually expand their knowledge of networks, platforms, applications, and other elements of their work.

Flow Theory

 

 Flow is a mental condition that occurs when a person engaged in an activity becomes fully absorbed in that activity. Usually, people decide where they want to focus their attention. However, they engage in activities unconsciously when they are in a flow. They become fully absorbed in the activities unconsciously. They become unaware of everything around them except for the action that has engaged them. They do not see or hear people around them; time passes without them noticing, and they even disregard their physiological needs. A flow state occurs when a person unconsciously invests all his attention in a task. He no longer has any more bits of attention to divert to another activity or occurrence.

Conditions for Flow to Occur

There are three primary conditions that people and their activities must meet for them to experience flow.

1. An activity must have clear goals and milestones.

2. The performance of the activity must receive immediate feedback.

3. There must be a right balance between the level of skills of a person and the level of challenge the activity presents.

Factors that hinder Flow

Certain personal elements can block one from experiencing flow. The three common personal factors are apathy, monotony, and anxiety. Apathy is a situation where a person lacks interest in an activity. Monotony occurs when one has developed a high level of skills in acting, such that the action no longer challenges him and does not demand his attention. Anxiety occurs when the level of challenge an action presents is so high that an individual's perceived skills are needed to meet the challenge. In such a situation, a person becomes stressed and uneasy.

Autotelic personality and the flow

 An autotelic personality is a personality that drives a person to engage in an activity with the desire to experience the action as its primary goal. The main characteristics of an autotelic personality are curiosity/persistence, low self-centeredness, and intrinsic motivation. People with autotelic personalities are highly likely to experience flow.

Components/Outcomes of Flow

When a person is in a flow state, specific actions or feelings engulf them. These actions/feelings are the components/outcomes of flow. They are concentration, ecstasy, inner clarity, confidence, serenity, and timelessness. Sport is an example of an activity that generates flow Sports present challenges to those who engage in them. Thus, sporting activities provide players with the opportunity to experience flow.

My Hometown

 

I was born and raised in Kisumu, a tiny, loud city in western Kenya. Due to the tense political situation in the country, Kisumu, the turf of opposition politics, was a rough place for an upbringing. The annual “Sabasaba” rallies, marked by violent protests along every street of the town, spelt danger to us children in an equal measure to adults. There was no place in Kenya where the riot police met their wanton brutality like in our beloved Kisumu, thus forging our innocent young minds into renegades. We grew up taught to opposition by the marginalisation and lack of care that our city and region received from the central government.

Despite the political troubles that plagued Kisumu, it was bursting with cultural heritage and pride. The dominant Luo people of the city were renowned for their love of fun, leisure, and pleasure. The Luo Benga, Rhumba, and Ohangla music permeated every corner and nook of this country. Members of other tribes and races appreciated music created by legendary Luo artists like Okatch Biggy, Owino Misiani, George Ramogi, Osito Kale, Bana Kadori, Ochieng Kabasele, and Aluoch Pamba. I loved the song Helena wange dongo by Okatch Biggy. I still dance to its tunes.

Kisumu, situated on the shores of Lake Victoria, traditionally known as Nam Lolwe, was home to the pioneering intellectuals of western education in this country. It was the first town to have an African mayor in colonial Kenya. It has produced numerous scholars who have achieved great feats for this country. Myth has it that the fish-eating culture of the Luo people made them brighter than other tribes or communities in Kenya. Furthermore, comedians like Eric Omondi theorise that every adult in Kisumu has a college degree.

Kisumu's hot and wet climate was sometimes frustrating, especially during the dry season when our pockets were dry. The high room temperatures of over 32 degrees Celsius, the scorching outdoor sun, and the dusty roads could sometimes make it the worst place. However, there was love and marvel when the August rains came, and children sang and screamed, “koth bi abia” (rain, just rain).

Nowadays, it rains there in December and even January. They were the hottest and driest months in the city. Things have changed for the better. I hope my hometown becomes more peaceful and lovelier than before.