Python Programming for Network Engineers
Cisco, Netmiko ++
Below are the top discussions from Reddit that mention this online Udemy course.
Network Programmability and Network Automation using GNS3 and Python for Cisco engineers: Telnet, SSH, Paramiko, Netmiko
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Taught by
David Bombal
1
Reddit Posts and Comments
0 posts • 3 mentions • top 3 shown below
1 points • burnthisnameafteruse
We all have lol. However, at the top level, you are engaged like that where real time is a factor and second for second is focused, mission critical work. However, most of these people have a MS in math or studied cryptographical computer science. With that being said, you might want to look into NOC work where you get your CCNA. The work is plentiful and honestly it's pretty fun. Networking is more of a "blue collar" job and there is a different mindset for all of that.
Depending on where you live, you can start cabling and working on layer 1 stuff. I don't know how COVID will affect this market but I do know there is a lot of work out there. Also, you can transfer from there to a support position. Personally, I would shoot for a CCNA and learn how to do networking, find someone that would hire, then go for a CCNP.
Anyone with hands on experience for 2-3 years of networking and has a CCNP, can get a job really anywhere, especially if you worked remote. You don't need coding but it would be very helpful to watch a course :
https://www.udemy.com/course/python-programming-for-cisco-network-engineers/
David Bombal is a genius networking programmer and even though you might not use the language like he shows (really more for enterprise), it will teach you networking and programming at the same time! After that you would actually be able to build things like APIs, web servers, etc. It will take some work to learn but if you were able to work on code and support a network then I don't see how these smaller companies wouldn't pick you up.
Now, I am very long-winded so I will share my thoughts on what COVID is doing to networking. Everyone uses AWS. Some companies might use Azure but it's a rip off honestly. Some places use GCP but most shops want AWS because of the price and quality. The AWS architect certification is a heavy-hitter and will continue to be one until people start returning to the office, which probably won't be for a while. AWS is free to use and you can do all kinds of cool things with it.
If you get that certification then employers will look past most things except maybe felonies or bad stuff on social media. No certification is a golden ticket but some go up in value depending on the current industry trends. I think of certs kind of like a stock market, in 2010-12 there were a lot of network innovations so CCNA was really great to have. 2014-17 Coding bootcamps got really big and knowing how to code was and is like gold.
A lot of people have been burned by incompetence, so a lot of these companies are seeing how they can run with less people; however, the certs I just named, need high-competency in the field in order to get a passing grade.
No matter what just stick with something and go ahead with it. Pentesting just isn't fun but it is highly necessary, and it comes with a lot of documentation and report writing. Lastly, imo if you don't understand what a network is, then you can't spot network intrusion. If you don't know what a database is and the behavior of one, then you can't easily spot what type of vulnerabilities are sticking out. I say work with a core tech like networks, web programming, cloud administration, and then move into pentesting once you become an expert in something. However, you could find that you really like multiple technologies and could become a jack-of-all-trades. A lot of people put that type of generalization down, but in the long run, it truly pays off to know how IT works not just one technology. Being siloed can end up killing off your job position and it could be back to the proverbial square one.
I don't see a lot of people mentioning longevity of certain technologies here but truly that should be your main focus on the first step. AI can't troubleshoot physical hardware (very well if at all) but a human can. AI is getting really good at pentesting and a human has it's limits. I'm not saying you can never do it, but it seems to be a flashy cert that doesn't reflect what the job will be like. AWS, CCNA, Linux+, LPIC etc. these will all reflect what the day to day job will be like. However, no matter what you get into use python, it's easy to pick up and AWS has an API that you can practice with, and if you get good at using boto3 with Python, then you won't need to be concerned with job security for a while.
Very exciting and I wish you well on your endeavors!
2 points • ivebeencalledpeppery
"I am really interested in network automation... more so of what could I do for the person that is having to frequently console in to various switches and routers."
Well on this one the sky is literally the limit. You can use stuff like Network Management software which are expensive or you can code a fairly easy script in Python to do the heavy lifting for you on this one. If you use Python which is kind of like a "poor guy's solution" (do not underestimate Python, though) you just need a library like Netmiko or Paramiko that is going to allow you to SSH into the devices to gather the info needed, or issue commands in the CLI there, and then you can compile the info as you see fit.
"Later, once they had been racked and put into a stack configuration, we'd console back in and give them their pre-deployment configuration which made them remotely available"
Well, in this case idk what your workplace monetary situation is but if you have a console switch like an OpenGear Console switch (https://opengear.com/product-selector/) you could rack them right away, run the necessary commands with the Python script to know if they are in the version you want them to be and then deploy the pre and post deployment configs.
Like I said above, do not underestimate Python for your automating needs. I use it quite often and it is a skill that is always good to have. Matter of fact, I can bet a bottom dollar in time that if you do not know how to code, especially in Python, you are not going to be able to get any Cisco Certification in about 10 years time. There's a couple of courses for Python for Networking in Udemy that you can literally get for 11 dollars on a holiday. I took a purely Python course that was a "from beginner to advanced user" first (https://www.udemy.com/course/complete-python-bootcamp/) which was purely Python and I learned a good deal of great coding skills. Then got the Python for Network Engineers one (https://www.udemy.com/course/python-programming-for-cisco-network-engineers/) to know the networking libraries available and how to use them (like Netmiko) which obviously was a more network-oriented one. Both of them were superb and I have benefitted quite a lot from the knowledge acquired there.